


Of Claws and Thieves

by Gryffin_Duck



Category: Elder Scrolls Online
Genre: Altmer - Freeform, F/F, Magic, Orcs, Thieves Guild, Werewolves, auridon, lycanthropy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-25
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:08:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22886812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gryffin_Duck/pseuds/Gryffin_Duck
Summary: When Nella Nargol arrived on Auridon she never imagined she would find herself wrapped up in the most notorious Thieves' Guild on the island. She was an orc. An orc with a secret. The Altmer were the Altmer. She was never meant to spend a long period of time in Auridon. She intended to bide her time until she could make her escape, but when she meets the guildmaster's niece, she begins to wonder if escape is what she really wants.
Relationships: Original Elf Character(s)/Original Orc Character(s)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 8





	1. A Poor Decision

Nella Nargol stood glaring at the woman, trying to look as threatening as possible for someone currently bound by magic to a fence post. Judging by the half bemused half annoyed expression on the woman’s face, Nella did not think she was doing a very good job of it. 

She could kick herself for getting caught in the first place. It was her third day in Auridon and she’d already been caught, and by an _Altmer_ no less. She supposed chances were fairly high of being caught by an Altmer on Auridon if she was going to be caught by anyone, but being caught by an Altmer in general was worse than being caught by say, a Nord or a Breton. Altmer were just so...snooty.

And this woman seemed to be the snootiest of all of them. She wore a dress that as far as Nella could tell was of the highest quality. It seemed to have gold sewn throughout it and Nella could think of no worse way to waste good gold than to sew it into a dress. Beyond that her blonde hair was done up in some elaborate braided fashion and her nose was wrinkled in a way only a high elf’s could, when they’d caught an orc trespassing on their property. 

Nella groaned inwardly as she struggled against the magic bindings. Of course it was magic. God forbid an Altmer actually get their hands dirty. 

Magic was probably how she got caught in the first place. Damn estate was probably warded. She should’ve thought of that. _Basic stuff_ , Nella, _basic stuff_ , she thought to herself. Why she’d chosen what appeared to be the largest estate in Mathiisen to case, she had no idea. Clearly it had been a poor choice. 

But she could only imagine the treasures that lay inside! The house itself was so large Nella guessed it had at least 15 rooms. And every single person she’d seen wandering around wore clothing similar to that of the woman who’d tied her up. Even better, none of them seemed at all aware of their surroundings. Except the woman. Which was how she’d gotten into this mess. 

Next to her stood a man (boy? She wasn’t sure how elves aged, but this one looked young for an elf) wearing what Nella gathered was the masculine version of the woman’s outfit. It was inlaid with gold, of course. He didn’t look as bemused as the woman; instead he looked embarrassed. 

This elf man-boy had been her mark. As soon as she snuck into the manor, Nella saw him standing by a tree, gazing up at the sky for who knows what reason, his bag sitting a good three feet away from him. Easy target. Too easy, she should’ve known. She’d only just gotten her hand inside of it when the woman came out of nowhere and tied her to the fence post. 

“Well?” the lady prompted. “Don’t you have anything to say for yourself?”

“Um-” Nella began, unsure of what excuse to give this time. Most of her brain power was currently being used to suppress the shudders that rushed through her body since the woman surprised her. _No, not here_ , Nella thought. She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep, slow breath. 

“Um?” the lady repeated, laughing. “That’s it? You sneak into my estate and try to rob my son and all you have to say is ‘um?’”

 _Her_ estate. Her _son_. 

“Ah, never mind,” the lady said, shaking her head. “I suppose whatever excuse you give me won’t matter in the long run. Follow me and don’t try to run. The wards will stop you at the exit.” She paused and looked back at her son. “You too, Aldrenen.” 

Nella felt her hands release from the fence post and opened her mouth to say something to the woman, but couldn’t find the words. Was she really being hauled off to a dungeon for a failed thievery attempt? This place did seem the sort to have a dungeon, but wasn’t that excessive? 

She could break out, of course. She’d been breaking out of dungeons and prisons for years, but it would save them both time if the high elf would just let her go.

“Um-” Nella began.

“There we go with the ‘um’ again,” the woman said, chortling. “Just follow me.”

Nella looked back at the gate, once again cursing herself for having the idea to case this manor in the first place, then reluctantly followed the woman, her legs still shaking. She’d managed to mostly calm down her body, but the chance was still there, and it would be until her heart rate returned to normal. Nella noticed Aldrenen was even more reluctant to follow his mother than she was. His cheeks were still as red as Nella’s hair. 

The woman led them along a path and up a set of stairs to the manor’s main doors, not looking back once to see if her son and Nella were following. Trusting or stupid, Nella thought, and she couldn’t decide which. 

Inside, the manor was every bit as spectacular and immaculate as Nella ever imagined, and more so beyond that. The furniture, the decorations, and even the contents of the bookcases seemed to scream their wealth for all to hear. Gold inlaid nearly every surface and once again Nella could think of no worse use for gold. 

Her fingers itched as they passed cabinets filled with silver and gold and she forced them into her pockets, knowing full well that stealing after she’d already been caught would be a monumentally stupid idea. 

The woman led them to a large, cavernous dining room. It featured the largest, heaviest oak table Nella had ever seen in her life. Along the walls were numerous cabinets filled with more dishes than Nella could ever imagine anyone needing in a lifetime. 

“Please, take a seat,” the woman said, gesturing to the table. 

Nella glanced at Aldrenen. He sat in one of the chairs near the middle of the table. He seemed unable to meet his mother’s gaze.

Fingering the chair, Nella sat two seats down from Aldrenen. The chair felt expensive. If only she could manage to sneak one out of her she could probably get enough gold to live on for a year. 

The woman did not sit down. Instead, she stood across from them, in front of a large fireplace. Above it was a portrait of another Altmer. His hair was the precise same shade of blonde as the woman’s and Aldrenen’s. No one could miss the family resemblance. 

“How are you liking Auridon?” the woman asked. 

Nella raised an eyebrow, unsure why the woman would be asking her son how he was liking a place she presumed he grew up in. It took her a second to realize the woman was speaking to her, not Aldrenen. It was not a normal question for someone to ask the person who’d just tried to rob them.

“How am I liking Auridon?” Nella repeated. 

The woman smirked. “Well, yes. You are new to the island, aren’t you? Only someone new to Auridon would ever dream of trying to rob Mathiisen Manor.” 

There was no mistaking the haughtiness in her voice. 

“Although I daresay you would’ve been successful had I not walked by. Aldrenen, I’m afraid, does not possess the traits necessary for our family...business.” The woman’s eyes narrowed on her son.

Nella looked at Aldrenen. He seemed to shrink in his seat and his cheeks grew even redder. She almost felt sorry for him. Almost. It was hard to feel sorry for someone who grew up with such wealth. 

Still, as intriguing as the family dynamics were, Nella wanted to get out. She didn’t know why this woman was holding her here, save for her own amusement. 

“Could you just arrest me or throw me in the dungeon or whatever it is you’re planning to do so we can both move on with our lives?” Nella asked, drumming her fingers on the table. 

The woman let out a laugh and shook her head. “Arresting you? Throwing you in a dungeon? I have plans to do neither.”

Nella looked at the woman. All hints of annoyance were gone and now she seemed simply amused. Nella hated that she couldn’t get a good read on her and hated even more that she couldn’t figure out why. It wasn’t that she was an elf. Nella had little experience with the Altmer, but she’d ready Aldrenen like a book. Shy, timid son of an intimidating, wealthy mother who constantly disapproved of him. Classic. Cliched. Nothing at all interesting there. 

“Then...could you cut to the chase so I can leave?” Nella asked. 

“Leave?” the woman asked, smiling. “Oh I have no intentions of letting you leave. Unless you’d rather be arrested, of course. But I daresay you’d prefer not, in which case you are not leaving. I’d be a fool to let such talent just walk out the door.”

“Talent?” Nella asked. Part of her wanted to opt for the arrest. She could very easily break out of prison, unless it was some sort of magic prison. But the other part of her, the nosy part of her, wanted to know more.

“Bit slow, are you? I’d heard that about orcs but always assumed it was a stereotype. I’m speaking of your talent as a thief. When I said no one is stupid enough to try and rob Mathiisen Manor I meant no one is stupid enough because they all know they won’t be able to do so much as get in the gates. You got in the gates and managed to locate the easiest mark in the place. And as I said, you would’ve succeeded.” 

Nella wasn’t sure she liked where this was going. Her ever instinct told her to run, but she was also all but certain the woman hadn’t been lying about the wards. 

“So...you’re going to do what, enslave me?” Nella asked.

The woman shook her head. “No. More like...indentured servitude if you feel the need to call label it. Regardless of your skill as a thief you did attempt to rob my son and thus you’ll need to repay me by working for me.”

Nella wasn’t sure she liked the sound of that. She still didn’t even know what this woman did for a living, other than that her son apparently did not possess the necessary skill set. 

“It’s your choice. Work for me or I’ll call the guards,” the woman said. 

Why, oh why, did she choose to come to Auridon? Nella wished she could go back and slap herself for that decision. She could break out of prison, yes. But could she break out of an Altmer magic prison? That she wasn’t sure of. 

“Fine,” she said, sighing. “Fine, I’ll work for you.”

The woman smiled. “Excellent.” She walked around to the other side of the table and stood in front of Nella. 

Nella stood. Standing this close to her, Nella now saw the woman was at least half a foot taller than she was. Why were Altmer so tall? 

The woman stuck out her hand. “I am Niraline Mathiisen. You might tell me your name now that you are working for me. Your real name, mind you.”

Nella hesitantly shook Niraline’s hand. “Nella. Nella Nargol.”

“Lovely, lovely,” Niraline said. “Welcome, Nella Nargol. Welcome to the Mathiisen Thieves Guild.”


	2. Not the First

“You’re not the first, you know,” Aldrenen said as Nella followed him down the upstairs hallway. 

After Niraline’s welcome, if you could call it that, she instructed her son to show Nella to her room. Why she didn’t pass that task along to a servant, Nella did not know. She was sure Niraline had calculated reasons, however. Aldrenen followed the orders without question and led Nella up the stairs and down the hall, toward the bedrooms. 

More cabinets and chests lined the upstairs hallways and she eyed them all eagerly, wanting nothing more than to steal just one, small thing. But she restrained herself, assuming that the cabinetry was either warded or its contents regularly accounted for. 

“You mean the first to try and rob you?” Nella asked. “I would think not, given how you weren’t even trying to keep your bag within your sight. If you’ll take advice from an orc, don’t leave your things laying about.”

Aldrenen stopped and turned to look at her. “I shouldn’t have to guard my things in my own home.”

“Ah, but that is where your things should be the most guarded,” Nella said, raising an eyebrow. “Homes are where all the best things are kept. Common targets for thieves.” 

“And that’s what you are?” Aldrenen asked. 

“You could call me that, sure,” Nella said. 

Aldrenen started walking again. “That wasn’t what I meant, by the way.”

“What did you mean, then?” Nella asked as she continued to follow him.

“I meant, you’re not the first...outsider my mother has ensnared,” he said. 

“Your mother did not ensnare me.”

“What would you call it?”

“She gave me a...choice,” Nella said.

Aldrenen let out a short laugh. “My mother has never given anyone a choice in her life. She had you pegged the minute she met you. She would not have offered you a job if she hadn’t already known you’d take it. She makes no decisions without knowing exactly how they will turn out days, weeks, months, or even years down the line. She did it with all the other outsiders she’s taken in and she did it with you.”

Nella stopped and crossed her arms over her chest. She didn’t believe him. Unless Niraline was a mindreader, there was no way she knew anything about her. 

Aldrenen looked at her and shook his head. “You don’t have to believe me. That doesn’t stop it from being true.”

Nella sighed and kept walking. “Fine. But what do you mean about her taking in outsiders?”

Aldrenen walked a few more paces before stopping in front of a nondescript oak door. It was identical to all the others they’d passed in this hallway. He put his hand on the knob, then paused to look at her.

“Everyone has their hobbies. Some people paint, others read, others cook. My mother...people are her hobby. She enjoys manipulating them to do her will and figuring out ways to do this while they think they’re making their own choices.”

“That’s quite the take to have on one’s own mother,” Nella said.

“It’s not a take. It’s the truth. Anyway, she mostly uses outsiders, people like you. People who aren’t Altmer. Half her guild aren’t Altmer and that’s an extraordinarily high percentage of non-Altmer for a guild in Auridon. Like I said, she collects them. At any given moment there are five or six living here. It’s just you and one other right now, which is a bit unusual.”

Nella stared at him. “And they’ve all tried to rob this place?”

Aldrenen laughed as he turned the doorknob. “No. You’re the first to do that.”

“First one she’s caught, anyway,” Nella said. 

“Fair point,” Aldrenen said as he pushed open the door. “Anyway, this is your room.”

Nella followed Aldrenen inside. The room was massive, far larger than anywhere she’d lived or squatted before. It wasn’t decorated to the degree the rest of the house was, but it was still significantly fancier than she was used to. The large canopy bed was made up with maroon and gold bed coverings and that color scheme continued throughout the room. The curtains, rugs, and artwork on the walls all matched. 

Aldrenen walked over to a tall wardrobe on the wall across from the bed. He opened it. “You’re welcome to whatever you’d like from the wardrobe. The dresses may be a bit long for you-”

“I don’t wear dresses,” Nella interrupted. 

Aldrenen shrugged. “I’ll have one of the servants bring you something else. You’re free to go wherever you’d like within the gates, but you aren’t allowed to leave without my mother’s permission. And you’re expected at dinner. Six o’clock. Don’t be late.”

Nella nodded. Aldrenen strode from the room, shutting the door behind him. As soon as it clicked shut, Nella strolled over to the bed, sighed, and flopped down on top of it, her face landing in a pile of overly squashy pillows.

How had this happened? And how was she going to get out of it? 

She didn’t want to be in a thieves’ guild. Sure, she was a thief, but she worked alone. And there were reasons for that. Good reasons. Reasons that she could not imagine getting into with Niraline, but if she stuck around long enough she’d have to.

Groaning, Nella sat up and reached for her bag, which she’d placed on the bed prior to flopping down on top of it. The bag, an old, patched, and frayed backpack, looked out of place atop the soft maroon linens. 

Nella reached inside the bag and pulled out a spare set of clothes, two daggers, and a chunk of hard cheese before finding what she was looking for. Her calendar. It was drawn rudimentarily on a torn piece of parchment, as she hadn’t wanted to shell out the gold for one from a shop. She’d every intention of stealing it, but the shopkeeper had been paying extraordinarily close attention to her that day. 

She unfolded the parchment and started counting days, beginning with the current day, until the next full moon. Five. Was it really only five? She counted again and got the same result. No wonder she’d gotten caught yesterday. As Masser, the larger of the two moons, waxed Nella found herself significantly less sneaky. 

Sighing, Nella folded the parchment once more and hid it in the bottom of her bag. She got up from the bed and began to pace the room. Five days. She had five days to figure out how to get out of Mathiisen Manor.

Four days, she thought, four days because she was essentially useless the day of the full moon. 

As she paced, Nella counted the moons on her fingers. Six. Six moons since the attack and she still could not control her transformations. And on the full moon...she lost her mind as well as her body. She could not be here, in this manor, during the full moon. A knock on the door jolted Nella out of her thoughts. She froze every muscle in her body and willed the familiar shuddering to go away. Why were her transformations triggered whenever she was startled? Once her body calmed down, she hastily shoved her backpack under the bed, then went to answer the door. It was probably Aldrenen, sent to give her another message from Niraline. Nella would love to know why Niraline seemed to use her son as an errand boy. 

Nella opened the door, expecting to see the Altmer man-boy, but instead was faced with another Altmer, one she hadn’t seen before. 

She was shorter than both Niraline and Aldrenen, only an inch or two taller than Nella. But her blonde hair and chiseled facial features bore a resemblance to the other two Altmer. Her clothing was a similar style to the rest of the Almer Nella had seen, but she was wearing a tunic and breeches rather than a dress. Her facial expression was one of curiosity and amusement and Nella noticed she was lacking both Niraline’s haughtiness and Aldrenen’s timidness. 

“I heard my aunt got ahold of an orc,” she said, taking a step forward and leaning on the door frame. “I had to see for myself.” 

_Aunt_. That would make her Aldrenen’s cousin. 

“Niraline’s your aunt,” Nella said.

“Yes,” she said, slipping past Nella into the room. 

Nella noticed she walked with a prominent limp, favoring her right leg. When she reached the bed, she put a hand on the frame to steady herself as she sat down. 

“So,” she said. “What did Niraline say to convince you to stay?”

The girl was awfully forward, Nella thought, just waltzing in and sitting herself down on the bed without even introducing herself. Weren’t high elves more polite than that? 

Still, there was something about this girl that didn’t scream typical Altmer to Nella. She had a different air about her than either Niraline or Aldrenen. 

“Convince me?” Nella asked, turning toward the bed. “She didn’t give me much of a choice.”

The girl laughed. “Aunt Niraline always gives the illusion of choice.”

Nella had a feeling the girl would stay until she got the answers she was looking for. “It was this or prison, so I chose this.”

The girl laughed again. “Some would say prison would be the better choice.”

If it were regular prison, Nella would agree. But she still did not know whether Altmer prison involved magic. 

“So, are you going to tell me why my aunt gave you the choice of this or prison?” the girl asked.

Nella sighed. Word was bound to get around sooner or later. “She caught me trying to rob her son.”

The girl raised her eyebrow for a split second then burst out laughing. She laughed so hard she bent over at the waist and had to steady herself on the bedpost. After a few moments she looked up at Nella, tears streaming down her face.

“Tell me that’s actually true,” she said.

“Well...yes, it is,” Nella said.

The girl laughed for another minute or so before wiping her eyes and looking back up at Nella. “Sorry, it’s just, the idea of an orc attempting to rob the son of the guildmaster of the most notorious Thieves’ Guild in Auridon is quite the image.”

Nella crossed her arms over her chest. “If I’d known that’s who he was, trust me, I wouldn’t have done it.”

“Oh, but I am so glad you did. Aldrenen’s a bit of an idiot and Niraline keeps trying to train him for the guild, but he’s a lost cause. He’s not a thief and never will be. I think it’s her greatest disappointment.”

“Niraline called it the family business,” Nella began, realizing she ought to take advantage of how chatty this girl was and pump her for all the information she had. “That means all the Mathiisens are in this guild?”

“Most of them, yes,” the girl answered. “Not Aldrenen, of course. And not me, technically. But everyone else, yes. Niraline is guildmaster and her brother and sister help run it. Her brother is my father.” 

Nella nodded. “But there are others in the guild?”

“Oh, yes,” the girl said. “Dozens.”

“Aldrenen mentioned some of them live here, in the manor.”

The girl flashed a wry smile and nodded. “Did he now? Did he happen to mention Aunt NIraline’s...hobby?”

Nella flinched. “He might’ve.”

“Ah,” the girl said. “Well, I am sure she’s just delighted in you. You’re the first orc she’s convinced to join. Orcs are hard to come by in Auridon, you see.”

That was certainly something Nella had noticed in her three days on the island. Growing up her mother always told her orcs were looked down upon in Auridon but so far at Mathiisen Manor, she felt like some sort of prize Niraline had won. And she wasn’t sure if that was better or worse than being looked down upon. 

“And do all the...non-Altmer live in the manor?” Nella asked. “Does she make them?”

The girl shook her head. “Again, she gives everyone the illusion of choice, but the only people who live here are Mathiisens and those who are working in the guild to pay off a debt, like you. Right now that’s just you and a khajit. He isn’t a thief, though. He does paperwork.”

“There’s paperwork in a thieves’ guild?” Nella asked.

The girl laughed. “Of course there is. There’s paperwork for any business. That’s what I do, too.”

“Why doesn’t Aldrenen?” 

“He does,” the girl said. “But Niraline would prefer him to thieve.” 

“What about your father? He doesn’t care if you don’t thieve?”

The girl raised her eyebrow and glanced down at her legs. “Really? It’s not obvious? I _can’t_ theive. Hard to sneak around when you can hardly walk. So I do the books. I’m good with numbers.”

“Oh, right,” Nella muttered. She felt her cheeks redden. “Sorry, I didn’t want to-”

“Mention it?” she interrupted. “I’m not ashamed of it and I don’t try to hide it. Neither does my father. Niraline doesn’t feel the same about Aldrenen.” 

“There’s something wrong with Aldrenen’s legs, too?” Nella asked. “I didn’t notice-”

“Seriously? No, I was just pointing out the similarities. Aldrenen doesn’t have the brains for thievery. It’s not a matter of him being physically unable to do it. He doesn’t have the brains for doing the books, either.” 

Nella nodded, glancing once more at the girl’s legs. Back in Nella’s village, there had been a boy with some sort of problem with his legs and he couldn’t walk right, but his family was poor and so he was left to begging on the streets everyday since he couldn’t work. This girl was lucky she was born into wealth and had the opportunity for a job that only required her brains. 

“You can ask, you know,” the girl said.

“Ask what?” Nella said, snapping her head back up to look her in the eyes. She wore a bemused expression similar to the one Niraline had earlier. 

“Why I can’t walk right,” the girl said. “I know you’re thinking it.” 

She wasn’t, actually. Nella learned long ago to mind her own business. 

“It was a disease,” the girl said, staring up at the ceiling. “I contracted it when I was four. I was sick for months and could hardly move, but when I got better my legs never completely got better. The right one is weaker than the left, but the left isn’t that great either. I was lucky, though. I had a twin brother and he got it too and he died. So did a lot of people, especially kids. Aldrenen wasn’t born yet.”

“Oh,” Nella said, unsure how to respond. “I...I’m sorry.”

The girl shrugged. “It was a long time ago and like I said, this is just who I am. I’m Failena, by the way.”

“Oh, right,” Nella said, walking over to her. “I’m Nella. Nella Nargol.” She stuck out her hand the way Niraline had earlier. 

Failena didn’t get up, but she grasped Nella’s hand in her own and shook it. As she did, Nella felt a warmth radiate up her arm and into her chest. She looked at Failena, but the Altmer wasn’t doing anything except smiling at her. Nella smiled back and realized for some inexplicable reason, she kind of liked this Altmer who seemed unable to shut up.


	3. Guild Headquarters

Despite the full moon lurking over Nella’s shoulder like a nosy neighbor, she slept better that night than she had in weeks. A warm, comfy bed and absolute exhaustion usurped the worries that ran through her head. Nella had expected to be up half the night pacing her new bedroom trying to come up with a plan of escape, but instead she’d fallen asleep shortly after returning to the room after dinner.

Dinner had been an awkward affair with Niraline, Aldrenen, Failena, and Niraline’s sister, Areane. The rest of the Mathiisens, including Failena’s father, were not present. Nella assumed they were off doing guild business. The khajiit Failena mentioned wasn’t there either and Nella didn’t ask for his whereabouts. As far as Niraline knew, Nella wasn’t aware of his existence yet. 

Areane bore a strong resemblance to her sister, niece, and nephew, but seemed much less stuffy than Niraline and Aldrenen. She never explained what her role was in the guild and Nella didn’t ask. In fact, Nella didn’t say much of anything at dinner, except when someone asked her a direct question. She mostly spent the meal listening to Niraline berate Aldrenen and Areane suggest she was being too harsh with the boy. Well, that and stealing glances at Failena across the table. 

Failena spent much of dinner returning Nella’s glances, which sent a shiver through Nella’s entire body each time. At one point, Nella could’ve sworn Failena nudged her leg with her foot, but when she looked at the Altmer she was paying intense attention to her soup. Perhaps it had been an accident, Nella thought. She wasn’t exactly sure how much control Failena had over her legs. 

After dinner Failena disappeared without so much as a word to Nella, presumably to her own bedroom. Nella had to admit she was disappointed at that. Part of her wanted to continue their conversation from earlier, although she wasn’t sure why since such a thing would most likely result in Failena asking questions Nella didn’t want to answer. But since Failena disappeared, the point was moot, and Nella went to bed. 

The following morning it took Nella a few seconds to realize where she was. She wasn’t curled up in a cave or in a makeshift tent under a tree. She was in the comfiest bed she’d ever slept in, in the largest house she’d ever been in. And she actually felt _rested_. 

Nella sat up and checked the time on the small clock on the bedside table. After dinner last night Niraline told Nella to meet her in the dining room at nine so they could discuss the terms of their agreement.

 _Agreement_. As if Nella was here by choice. 

Technically she was, but only technically. She was beginning to understand what Aldrenen meant about his mother giving the illusion of choice. 

But she had to say, having experienced both, so far this was better than prison. 

A knock on the door jolted Nella out of her thoughts. She made to get up to open the door, but it opened before she untangled herself from the linens. 

A tall Altmer girl walked in, this one very obviously not a Mathiisen. Her facial features were soft for an Altmer and her hair was dark as night. She carried a silver tray that contained a steaming mug of something and a bowl of what looked like porridge. A bulging sack was draped across her shoulders.

“Good morning, Miss,” she said, setting the tray down on the bedside table. “I hope I didn’t wake you.”

“N-no,” Nella said, confused. “Sorry, who are you?”

“Sonnde, Miss,” the girl answered as she set the sack down on the floor and began pulling articles of clothing out of it. Tunics and trousers, from the looks of it. 

No one in her village would ever believe her, Nella thought. She, an orc, was being waited upon by an Altmer. 

“I’m a ladies’ maid here,” Sonnde continued. She walked to the wardrobe and began hanging the clothing inside it. “Aldrenen told me you don’t like dresses. Makes sense, if you’re going to be doing guild work. I can’t imagine doing that in a dress. Anyway, if you need anything else, let me know.”

Nella glanced at the breakfast tray. “Um...is that silver?”

“Yes,” Sonnde answered. “Don’t get any ideas. The guildmaster has ways of knowing when her things go missing.”

“Right,” Nella said. 

Sonnde nodded once, then picked up the now empty sack and left the room. Nella sighed and looked at the breakfast tray. She climbed out of bed and retrieved her backpack from under it. From it, she pulled a well-worn pair of purple gloves and slipped them onto her hands before picking up the breakfast tray and placing it on the bed. 

Being allergic to silver was a pain for someone in Nella’s profession, but she’d managed fairly well over the past ten months. The first few burns she’d suffered made enough of an impression that she was more careful in remembering gloves now. 

After Nella finished breakfast (and she had to admit it was the best porridge she’d tasted) and dressed in the new clothes Sonnde brought, she set off for the dining room. 

Niraline stood beneath the large portrait of the blonde Altmer when Nella walked in. 

“Follow me,” Niraline said. Without waiting for a response from Nella, Niraline turned and strode from the room.

Nella followed Niraline through a dizzying maze of rooms until they reached a nondescript wooden door at the end of a hallway. The door wasn’t marked or labeled in any way, nor was it decorated in the way the rest of the doors in the house were. Without a word, Niraline opened the door and ushered Nella inside. 

Inside was a staircase dimly lit by a few sconces on the walls. The stairs were stone and very uneven. On the left side was a ramp with some sort of pully contraption connected to a cart that looked like it would go up and down the ramp. 

_Dungeons_ , Nella thought to herself. There were dungeons and now Niraline had changed her mind and was bringing Nella to the dungeons.

Niraline beckoned Nella forward and led her down the stone steps until they reached another hallway. From there, Nella heard voices and the voices got louder as she and Niraline walked down the hall.

The hallway emerged into a foyer much larger than Nella expected for a dungeon. It was a split level with the lower part furnished with tables, couches, chairs, and bookshelves. A few people sat at the tables. A wooden ramp led to the upper foyer and Nella could see a few doors and hallways leading off from it. The entire area was made of stone and wood, but in an elegant way. The decorations on the walls and surfaces, while not nearly as fancy as those in the above manor, were still significantly nicer than anything Nella had ever seen. 

“Guild headquarters,” Niraline said, turning around to look at Nella. 

Nella wasn’t sure if she was supposed to say anything, but when she didn’t Niraline walked up the ramp toward the upper foyer. Nella followed. 

Niraline withdrew a key from her pocket, led Nella to one of the doors, and opened a complicated set of locks on it. Nella watched.

“Don’t get any ideas,” Niraline said as she opened the door. “The locks won’t open for anyone except me.”

The room was almost as large as the foyer outside it and looked like it belonged in the upstairs manor instead of the guild headquarters. The bookshelves that lined the walls matched the ones upstairs exactly, except these held even more treasures Nella wished she could get her hands on. Gemstones, gold statues, glowing shards, and books so rare they each seemed encased in their own magical prisons. 

Niraline shut the door behind them, then sat down in the emerald and gold chair behind the desk. She gestured for Nella to sit in one of the plainer chairs in front. 

Nella sat, noting that the chair was almost as comfortable as her bed. 

“Let’s forgo pleasantries and get right to business, shall we?” Niraline said as she removed a piece of parchment from one of the desk drawers and set it on the desk. “Before we go any further, are there any...complications that might arise from you working for my guild?”

Nella’s eyes widened and she felt Niraline’s eyes boring into her. How did she know already? “Um...what do you mean by that?”

Niraline sighed. “Warrants for your arrest, bounties, that sort of thing. I want to make sure there won’t be any guardsmen banging down my door searching for you.”

Nella breathed a sigh of relief. “No, nothing like that.” 

Niraline raised an eyebrow. “Might I stress how important it is for you to be honest with me. If you have a bounty out on you the guild will pay it off. If there are any warrants out for your arrest the guild will deal with them. We can’t, however, do that if we do not know about them.”

“No,” Nella said. “I have no warrants or bounties.” 

Niraline nodded. “Excellent. As I mentioned yesterday I am guildmaster. I oversee all aspects of the guild. My sister, whom you met at dinner last night, oversees personnel-”

“Personnel?” Nella asked. 

Niraline sighed. “Yes, personnel. A thieves’ guild isn’t as simple as a group of people stealing things. It’s a complicated organization that requires leaders to make it work. Areane sees to that. She keeps track of the positions people hold in the guild, the jobs the non-thieves do, and she is in charge of hiring and firing members.”

Nella nodded. “Right.”

“My brother, Fanion, is in charge of assigning jobs. You’ll report to him to receive your assignments and when you complete them. If you run into any trouble on a job, you’ll tell him. Is that understood?”

“Yes,” Nella said. She never knew so much went into running a guild.

“Lastly, Failena is our bookkeeper. She keeps track of the guild’s finances and nothing comes in or leaves the guild without her knowing and recording it. After you report a completed job to Fanion, you will bring anything you acquired relating to the job to Failena. Anything you acquire that is not directly related to the job is yours and it is up to you to fence it. We have a fence here for you to use if you so desire. Failena will also give you your cut-”

“My cut?” Nella interrupted.

“Yes, you will receive payment for any job you do for the guild,” Niraline said, smiling slightly.

“But I thought-”

“You may be here to repay a debt, but you are my employee and I treat my employees well. Unless you don’t want a cut?”

“Oh, no, I do,” Nella said hurriedly. 

“Since Fanion is away I will assign you your first job tomorrow,” Niraline said. “Assuming you can complete it, I will assess afterward to see if you are in fact able to join the guild.”

“And if I don’t?” Nella asked. 

Niraline raised an eyebrow and leaned forward, resting her elbows on the desk. “Do you think that will be the case, Miss Nargol?”

“No,” Nella said. “I simply prefer to have all the information before I begin.”

Niraline said nothing for a few seconds, then smiled. “I can’t argue with that. If you fail or I feel you did not do the job to the caliber I expect, I will find you another job in the guild. As you’ve seen, there is plenty to be done that does not involve thievery. But, I strongly suspect that will not be the case.”

Nella nodded. “I can do it.”

“Good,” Niraline said, standing up. “I will give you a tour of the headquarters and the manor and then the rest of the day will be yours. Tomorrow, you start your job. Understand?” 

Nella nodded. “Yes.”

“Good,” Niraline said again. “Follow me.”

Nella followed Niraline out of her office and into the foyer. She took a few steps toward the middle and stopped, turning to look at Nella.

“As I mentioned before, everything you’ll need is right here in the guild. Merchants, fences, supplies, and more. There is even a tavern down that hall.” She paused and pointed to a hallway opposite her office.

“All guild members have access to the guild rooms at all times, but no one other than those living there are allowed upstairs into the manor. The two are distinctly separate, despite the guild being directly below the manor. The manor door is warded and you will need a key to access it. You are to let no one in other than yourself. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes,” Nella said.

“Good.” Niraline reached into her pocket and produced a key. “It is equipped with a self-destruct spell. If you squeeze it three times in a row, it will disappear. If you are ever captured you are to activate that spell. It is very important no one gain access to the manor.”

Nella opened her mouth to ask why, but thought better of it and shut it again. She took the key from Niraline and slipped it into her pocket. 

Niraline walked back to the outer edge of the foyer, nodding hello to the few people she passed along the way. None of them seemed to notice Nella or if they did, they didn’t feel the need to acknowledge her. She preferred it that way. She wasn’t there to try and make friends with the entire guild. 

They ducked down a small hallway, Niraline pausing to ask a tall Altmer man how “the task” was going. He was dressed in all black which made him look even paler than he already was. He and Niraline spoke in whispers for a few minutes, then the man disappeared out into the foyer. Niraline continued as if their conversation never happened. 

They continued walking until they reached a wooden door with a small window carved out of it. A plaque on the door read ‘Failena Mathiisen - Accountant, Bookkeeper, Money Wizard.’ Nella smirked at the last term as Niraline knocked then entered without waiting for a response. 

The room was smaller than Niraline’s office and the sheer amount of clutter on the shelves made it look even smaller. While the trinkets in Niraline’s office seemed well-curated, Failena’s were a mishmash of everything organized in no particular order. They filled bookshelves that lined three of the four walls. 

The back wall was partially occupied by half a dozen filing cabinets and a large square door with a massive lock in the middle. Just in front of it sat a large oak desk with a chair similar to Niraline’s, but this one had squashy arms and looked significantly more comfortable. On top of it were stacks of ledger books, quills and pots of ink, a few piles of coins, and a few small sacks filled with Nella imagined were items worth decent amounts of money. 

Failena was perched in the chair, her blonde hair falling on top of the open ledger book in front of her. She looked up when Niraline and Nella entered, frowning slightly.

“Everything okay, Aunt Niraline?” she asked. 

“Oh fine,” Niraline said. “I am giving Miss Nargol a tour of the guild.” 

“Ahh,” Failena said, turning to Nella and smiling slightly. “What do you think?”

“It’s...more involved than I would’ve thought,” Nella said.

Failena rolled her eyes. “No one ever thinks about all the work that goes into a guild. All they think it is is a group of people stealing stuff. But that’ll never work unless there’s organization. And do people honestly expect a group of thieves to accurately record their wares? Hell no-”

“And that’s why it all goes through Failena,” Niraline interrupted. “But you’ll soon discover, Miss Nargol, that my family put a lot of effort into the upkeep of this guild and we do not take kindly to those who do not follow the rules.”

Nella thought that was a bit rich coming from someone who was _forcing_ her to be there. It wasn’t like she chose to join this guild. 

There was a knock on the door and Nella turned to look, but couldn’t see much of anything out the small window in the door. 

“Come in!” Failena shouted. 

Niraline winced. “I would’ve answered that for you, you know.”

Failena shrugged. “My way works, too.”

The door opened and the tall, blackclad Altmer from earlier walked in, this time looking worried. He looked from Nella to Failena and then to Niraline.

“May I speak with you...in private?” he asked.

“Can it wait?” Niraline asked. “I am in the middle of something.”

“It...cannot,” he said. “I’m afraid the situation has...escalated.”

Niraline sighed. “Fine, fine. I’ll meet you at my office.”

The man nodded and scurried out the door.

“I have to go...take care of something,” Niraline said, looking at Failena. “I hate to ask, Failena, but would you mind giving Nella a tour of the place? The manor, too, if you’re up for it. I have a feeling this is going to take some time to smooth over.”

Failena drummed her fingers on the desk and closed her eyes for a moment before opening them and looking at Niraline. The two seemed to have an unspoken conversation for a few seconds. “Niraline-”

“I wouldn’t ask if there was anyone else, but your father is out of town, Areane is tied up with a situation of her own, and Aldrenen’s holed up doing who knows what, but if you can’t-”

“Okay,” Failena interrupted. “Okay, I can do it. It’s not a big deal.” 

“I could wait until later, if that-” Nella began. 

“No, no,” Niraline said. “As I said, this will take me a while to deal with. And I need you ready to begin work tomorrow. Report to my office tomorrow morning at nine.”

With another nod to Failena, Niraline left the room, shutting the door behind her. 

Nella turned to Failena, but her eyes were closed again and she was gripping the edge of the desk with both hands. “Are you...are you okay?” she asked quietly.

Failena opened her eyes. “I’m fine,” she said. “Can you hand me that cane?” She pointed to the corner near the square door with the lock in the middle. 

“Sure,” Nella said, walking over to the corner. Leaning against the square door was a wooden cane, intricately carved with a pattern of vines. 

She handed it to Failena and watched as she braced herself on the desk and got out of the chair, which Nella now realized was on wheels. Slowly, leaning on the cane, she walked over to the door, then looked at Nella.

“Ready?” she asked. 

“Are you sure, you’re-”

“I’m fine,” Failena snapped. “Sorry. It’s just...Niraline asked me to give you a tour so I’m giving you a tour.”

Nella once again opened her mouth to say something, but thought better of it, and followed Failena out of the room.


	4. Close Call

Outside the office Nella waited as Failena performed a series of complicated hand motions over the door and the whole thing glowed faint yellow for a few seconds, then stopped. Seemingly satisfied, Failena turned to Nella, leaning heavily on the walking stick.

“It’s locked with the strongest spells known to the Altmer,” Failena explained. “Only myself, my aunts, and my father can get in.” 

“And that safe? That’s where…” Nella began, her voice trailing off.

Failena gave her a wry smile. “Indeed. And it’s protected with a mechanical lock and spells. Well, let’s get going.”

Nella followed her down the hallway, past a couple other closed doors. Failena pointed out that they were all storage. 

“Are you the only one who works down this hall?” Nella asked.

Failena nodded. “I’m farthest from either entrance, which is a right pain in the ass for me, but it’s better for the safe. Anyone would have a hell of a time making it from the entrances to the safe. They’d have to sneak through the entire guild.”

“That makes sense,” Nella said. 

They emerged in the foyer and Failena led her up the small ramp that led to the upper foyer, where Niraline’s office was, grasping tightly to the railing with her free hand. 

“I’m sure my aunt already pointed out her office,” Failena said, pointing to the closed door with her cane. “Across there are my father’s office and my other aunt’s office.” She pointed to the two doors on the other side of the upper foyer. You’ll get your assignments from my father, when he’s here. If you ever have any issues with another guild member, go see my aunt Areane. But try to fix it on your own first.”

“Right,” Nella said, nodding. 

“That’s it for up here,” Failena said, and retraced her steps back down the small ramp.

The hallway leading to Failena’s office seemed to be halfway in between the upper and lower foyers, so when they reached it, Failena led Nella down another small ramp. Nella noticed the ramp was installed directly over half a dozen or so steps. 

The lower foyer was set up to be some sort of sitting area with two couches and a handful of chairs and small tables. When she reached one of the couches, Failena sat down and gestured to the empty chair next to it. Nella sat. 

Two others sat on one of the couches, a khajiit and an Altmer. Both stopped talking when they noticed Failena. Failena turned to them. 

“Something you need?” she asked.

“Just curious,” the Altmer said, peering to look at Nella. “Niraline got you giving tours now? Something must be going on.”

“Whatever it is, it’s surely none of your business, Drokir,” Failena said.

Drokir smirked. “Whatever it is, it must be something big. The whole guild knows Failena Mathiisen doesn’t give tours to recruits.” 

“Watch your mouth,” Failena said. “And you two can clear off, while you’re at it. I need to speak with Nella.”

“Nella, is it?” Drokir said. “Welcome. Watch out for Failena here. She’s feisty. Extra feisty if you catch her on a bad day and clearly we have.” His eyes drifted from Nella to Failena’s walking stick.

“I’m warning you, Drokir,” Failena said, her voice icy. 

Drokir held up his hands and stood up. “Fine, fine. We’re leaving.” He slipped out down one of the hallways leading off the lower level, his Altmer friend following. 

Failena groaned and turned to Nella. “Ignore him. He doesn’t know when to shut his mouth.”

“Is he the khajiit that lives in the manor?” Nella asked.

“No, thank god,” Failena muttered. “Drokir is a thief. A damned good one, which is the only reason Niraline keeps him around. King of inappropriate comments and sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong, that one. And he spends all his off time here, hoping for the latest gossip. If you want anything kept secret, don’t tell him.”

“Noted,” Nella said. 

“Anyway, I’m assuming my aunt hasn’t given you all the guild history yet?” Failena asked. 

“No,” Nella said, although she was curious how one of Auridon’s most famous families wound up running their own thieves’ guild.

“She usually does that as she’s giving her grand tour,” Failena said. “That way she can point out things of historical significance and the like. But I can’t do Niraline’s long tour. You’re getting the short version, which means the history is done here, where we can sit.”

Failena shifted and moved her legs up onto the couch, wincing slightly. 

“If you want to do it later-” Nella began.

“Please stop asking me that,” Failena said, sighing. “I am not going to die if I give you a tour. I’ve been living with this almost my whole life, so I promise you I can handle it. I just...overdid it last night.”

Nella raised her eyebrows. When she saw Failena at dinner last night she seemed fine. Well, as fine as she seemed when Nella first met her yesterday afternoon.

“I was helping Aldrenen with something, something that involved too much walking. I know my limits and if I exceed them I pay the price the next day. This is that price,” Failena explained.

“Oh,” Nella said, nodding. That was where Failena disappeared last night.

Failena smirked. “You were wondering where I was last night, weren’t you.”

Nella felt her cheeks redden. “N-no, I wasn’t.”

“Bullshit,” Failena said. “Mathiisens are damn good at reading people and I can read you like a book, Nella Nargol. But I’m afraid I can’t tell you what we were up to. That’s up to Aldrenen.”

“I wasn’t-”

Failena held up a hand. “No need to explain. We’re moving on. Guild history. I assume you saw the portrait in the dining room? Blonde, arrogant looking Altmer who vaguely resembles my aunt?”

Nella nodded. “Yes.”

“He’s my great grandfather,” Failena explained. “Fainnil Mathiisen. The family fortune didn’t start with him, but he’s the one who created the Guild. 

“Niraline would wax poetically about Fainnil and all the good he did for Auridon, but I’m going to cut to the chase. He was a good person. Donated to the poor and all that. He even took in a few disabled orphans. My father suspects they contracted the same disease I did. Some kind of odd coincidence that is, right? Anyway, the whole island loved him.

“But since he was so rich he was a prime target for thieves and one day a group of thieves managed to pull off a heist and rob him. They didn’t get everything, but they got enough to fatally injure Fainnil’s pride. It took him a month or so but he eventually found these thieves.”

“Did he kill them?” Nella asked.

Failena smirked. “Oh no. See, this is where my aunt gets it from. Fainnil _hired_ these thieves. They were the first members of the Mathiisen Thieves’ Guild. Fainnil decided that the best way to keep from being the victim of another heist was to hire all the best thieves in Auridon for himself and have them work for him.”

Nella stared at Failena, her mouth slightly agape. “That’s…”

“Genius, right?” Failena said. “It worked, too. The Mathiisens haven’t been robbed since. At least not large heists. We all know Aldrenen probably gets robbed at least monthly. But the manor? Never touched since.”

“But...but…” Nella began, trying to string her thoughts together. “He was robbed and then he robbed other people? Isn’t that messed up?”

“Slightly, yes,” Failena said. “But Fainnil was very controlling about who he allowed his members to rob. They could only rob those who could afford it and he always donated much of his earnings to charity. It still works that way today. The thieves get their cut, those of us who aren’t thieves get paid, the Guild upkeep is paid for, some is stored away for the Guild general funds, and a good portion is donated.”

“So you’re thieves for good,” Nella said.

Failena shrugged. “I don’t know if I’d go that far. But the Auridon nobility are fine with it because it keeps the thieves in check. Sure there are rogues out there who don’t belong to the Guild, but five times that many who are. Drokir, for example. He’d rob everyone in Auridon blind if he weren’t in the Guild. The nobility are grateful for that.”

“The nobility know about you?” Nella asked.

Failena smiled. “Of course. It also helps that we Mathiisens are some of the nobility in Auridon.”

Nella nodded, trying to wrap her mind around it. Government sanctioned thievery? Just the idea of that seemed ridiculous, but it almost made sense at the same time. Granted, her experience with organized government was very little. Technically, Nella wasn’t from Orsinium, but the Orsinium area, which consisted of a bunch of small villages without much government. And now, although Nella could hardly believe it, she was somehow involved with this government sanctioned thievery. 

“It’s still very under the table,” Failena went on. “It’s not like you can just walk out into the town square and rob someone in broad daylight. You’ll get thrown in jail or worse. It’s more like...the guards know it goes on but as long as they don’t see it, you’re fine. It’s hard to explain, but it’s a sort of understanding.” 

“I get it,” Nella said. “Sort of.” 

“It’ll make more sense the longer you’re here,” Failena said. “There’s nowhere else in Tamriel quite like Auridon. Even Summerset isn’t quite the same. Don’t get me wrong, everyone is just as snobby and nosy in Auridon as they are in Summerset. It’s just a different...feel.” 

“I’ve never been to Summerset so I can’t compare,” Nella said.

Failena snorted. “You don’t say. You never did mention why you’re in Auridon.”

Nella turned away from Failena and stared at the floor. No, she hadn’t. Niraline hadn’t asked. “This great-grandfather of yours,” she said, ignoring Failena’s question. “Is he still alive?”

Failena took a moment before answering and Nella looked back at her. She looked like she was deciding whether or not to ask her question again.

“No, he isn’t,” she finally said. “He and my grandfather, Niraline’s father, were killed in an accident out at sea before I was born. Niraline inherited the guild after that, as she was eldest child.” 

Nella nodded. “Right.” She paused, looking at Failena. “Er...sorry if this seems rude, but...how old are you? It’s hard to tell-”

“With Altmer, yes,” Failena finished for her. She shifted positions on the couch and tilted her head at Nella. “Thirty-six. But my father and aunts are well into their 300s. Mathiisens tend to wait a long time to have children, what with running the guild. Hard thing to do with kids. Areane never got around to it. And how old are you, since I told you my age?”

Nella chewed her lip. She supposed fair was fair. “Twenty-nine.”

“Same as Aldrenen,” Failena said, shrugging. 

That meant Failena got sick sometime before she turned seven, since she’d mentioned Aldrenen wasn’t born yet when she got it. She was right; she had been living with it nearly her whole life. Nella could hardly remember much before she turned seven. Nella wanted to ask what exactly the illness was, but had a feeling if she did Failena would expect her to answer the question about what she was doing in Auridon.

“Anyway,” Failena said. “My great-grandfather created the guild but Niraline is who transformed it. She took on Areane for personnel and my father for day-to-day running and organizing of jobs. And that is what turned it into the big operation it is today. She also forged the deals with the nobility. 

“And she is the one who trained me to be the guild accountant. Before that, Niraline did all that herself. She...she...well let’s just say she took a risk with me no one else would.” Failena looked like she wanted to add something else to that, but she didn’t. 

“Are there other thieves’ guilds in Auridon?” Nella asked.

Failena snorted. “Sure. It’s a big island, afterall. But none as large or organized as Mathiisen. This is the only one worth working for, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Nella shook her head. “No, that wasn’t what I meant. I just...I’ve always worked alone.”

“And you will for most of your jobs,” Failena said. “My father won’t assign you to a group heist until he knows he can trust you.”

“Still here, are you?”

Nella turned and saw Drokir waltzing back into the room. She hadn’t noticed before just how...ornate his clothing looked. The guild must pay well, she thought. 

“Just leaving,” Failena said as she slowly got up off the couch.

“Need a hand?” Drokir strode over to Niraline and offered a hand (paw?). 

“Never,” Failena said, glaring at him. “Why don’t you go find some work? There’s plenty on the tip board.”

Drokir smirked and shook his head. “I don’t dally with tip board work anymore. Only the big jobs for me.”

“I swear you’re the most full of yourself on this whole island,” Failena muttered. “And that’s saying something where 90% of the population are Altmer.”

“You’re just jealous of my skills,” Drokir said.

Failena let out a barking laugh. “You wish. Nella? Let’s go.”

With another glance at the khajiit, Nella got up and followed Failena out of the foyer. She paused at the beginning of a hallway kitty-corner to the hallway that led back to the manor. 

“Merchant, fence, tavern down that way,” Failena said, gesturing to the hall. “If you want to go take a look, we can do that, but if not-”

“No, I’m fine. I know what a merchant, fence, and tavern are,” Nella said quickly. 

Failena gave her a wry smile and turned down the hallway toward the stairs that led back up to the manor. “Well then. Let’s go upstairs.” 

Nella followed her down the hall, slowing her gait to match Failena’s. When they reached the stairs, Failena opened the side of the cart and climbed inside. She pushed a button on the wall and the cart began to go up its rails to the top of the stairs. Nella climbed the stairs beside it, watching as it rumbled up the stairs at about the same pace she did.

“How does that work?” Nella asked.

“Magic,” Failena answered. “Only one of its kind as far as I know. Niraline installed it after she hired me. I kept tripping going up and down the stairs.”

“But she didn’t put them upstairs?” Nella asked.

“No,” Failena said as the cart lurched to a stop. “I can manage those stairs. They’re not as uneven as these. Plus, my bedroom is on the first floor.”

“But yesterday-”

“I went upstairs to find you,” Failena said. “I was curious. It wasn’t as if I was already up there and happened to wander into your room.”

“Right,” Nella said, turning away. She could feel her cheeks reddening. 

Failena climbed out the cart and righted herself, leaning heavily on the cane. “We’re going to make this quick. First floor only since the second and third floors are mostly bedrooms.”

“There’s a third floor?” Nella asked. She hadn’t noticed that yesterday when she was scouting the building.

“A small one, toward the back of the house. That’s where Aunt Niraline’s rooms are,” Failena explained as she started down the hallway. “Don’t ever go up there. Aunt Niraline likes her privacy and she doesn’t like discussing guild business anywhere other than her office downstairs.”

“Noted,” Nella said. 

They continued down the hall, Failena pointing out various sitting rooms and storage closets. On the opposite side of the house were the dining room, kitchen, and formal living room. Failena didn’t linger long in any of these and given how little she talked about them Nella assumed she wanted to wrap up the tour quickly. 

“Servants’ quarters are also up on the second floor,” Failena said, “since that’s where all the bedrooms are. Opposite side of the house from yours. Oh, and there is a library up there, too.”

Nella snapped to attention and looked at Failena. “Really?”

“Yes, really,” Failena said. “The Altmer are first and foremost mages and most have at least a small library in their homes. Ours...is not small.”

Nella’s eyes widened. “What sort of books do you have?”

“All sorts,” Failena said, sighing. “You want me to show you, don’t you.”

Nella shuffled from one foot to the other. She needed to see that library. It could have books on lycanthropy...books that might teach her how to control her transformations. “You could just give me directions. I’m sure I can find it.”

Failena shook her head. “No, I’ll show you. Aldrenen is probably up there and I have something I need to ask him. Aldrenen fancies himself the guild librarian.”

“Is he?” Nella asked as they walked to the stairs.

“No,” Failena said. “If you ask me Niraline ought to just make it official and call him the guild librarian, but she refuses to admit he can’t be a thief.” 

“What exactly does he do all day?” Nella asked.

“Keeps the library neat and tidy. Plus he’s got a sort of...project he’s working on,” Failena said.

“The same one that you helped him with last night,” Nella said.

“Correct,” Failena said as they reached the stairs. She turned and looked at Nella. “You go ahead. Wait for me at the top.”

“I-” Nella began.

“No,” Failena interrupted. “Just...go.”

Nella opened her mouth to object again, but thought better of it and hurried up the stairs ahead of Failena. These stairs were in fact much nicer than the ones that led to the basement. They were uniform in size and covered in a plush purple carpet. 

Once at the top, Nella tried not to watch Failena as she climbed the stairs. It appeared to be an arduous process. Failena leaned heavily on the railing and grasped the cane with her other hand as she lifted each of her feet onto every stair. 

A few minutes later Failena reached the top and started down the hallway as if nothing happened. Nella joined her and matched Failena’s pace. They passed Nella’s room and the servants’ quarters through a dizzying array of hallways and Nella realized why it was easier for Failena to just show her. The library was at the very end of the maze of hallways, as far as possible from the stairs.

Failena wrenched the door open, revealing the largest, most magnificent library Nella had ever seen, not that she had seen many. Each wall boasted floor to ceiling bookcases, each with an ornate ladder allowing one access to even the tallest shelves. About half the floor space was taken up with more bookcases, these shorter, and the other half with mahogany tables and chairs. A door on the wall on the right side was slightly ajar. 

“I’ve never seen anyone so excited to see a library,” Failena said, snapping Nella out of her thoughts. 

“It’s...it’s wonderful,” Nella said quietly. 

“Do you need any help finding anything specific?” Failena asked. “I’ve spent a lot of time here so I know most of the collection. And Aldrenen knows the rest.”

“No,” Nella said quickly. “I’d rather...I’d rather look myself.”

“Suit yourself,” Failena said. “I’ll be in there with Aldrenen if you change your mind.” She gestured to the door on the right wall. 

Nella nodded and Failena wandered away toward the open door. Nella turned and looked at the stacks. She had absolutely no idea where to begin. She’d never been in a library large enough to have any sort of organizational method and her usual way of going about searching was to just physically look at every book.

But this library was so large it would be months before she got through everything. Sighing to herself, Nella set off toward the open door, trying to think of some way she could ask Failena for help without saying exactly what she needed.

Failena stood in the doorway, leaning against the door jam, a smirk on her face, as if she’d expected this. “Let me guess, never been in a library large enough to require a catalog before?”

“I’m not-”

“That wasn’t an insult,” Failena said. “Point is, you’d find your information a lot sooner if you let me help.”

“I just...can you tell me how the catalog works?” Nella asked. 

Failena tilted her head. “You’ve got a secret, Nella Nargol.”

Nella’s heart began to pound against her rib cage. Her body began to shake as her muscles shuddered and contracted. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to breathe. Why was this still so hard? She opened her eyes and looked at Failena. “I don’t-” 

“You do,” Failena said. “You’ve been squirrely since you got here. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t care. So long as you aren’t a wanted criminal who needs to research your own defense, that is.”

“N-no,” Nella stammered. “I-”

Failena reached out and grabbed Nella’s shaking hand. “It’s okay,” she said quietly. “Whatever it is, it’s okay.”

 _It wasn’t okay_ , Nella thought. _It was the opposite of okay_. And if she couldn’t figure out how to get a handle on it soon, she didn’t know what she was going to do.

She squeezed her eyes shut and slipped her hand out of Failena’s. The shaking wouldn’t stop and she could feel every one of her muscles itching. She had to get out of there. Opening her eyes, she looked at Failena. Her usual smirk wasn’t there, replaced instead with worry. 

“I- I have to go,” Nella croaked. Without waiting for a response, she fled from the room, happy Failena would be unable to chase after her.

Nella flung the library door open and ran down the hall toward her bedroom, her fists clenched the whole way. _Not here. Not in the hallway_. 

By the time she reached her room her entire body was visibly shaking. It was all she could do to wrench the door open and lock it behind her before she fell to the floor on all fours.

Her breath hitching and tears streaming down her face, Nella braced herself for the transformation. She tried to stifle the screams as she felt her bones breaking and reshaping and the fur sprouting all over her body. 

A minute later it ended and Nella stood stock-still in her wolf form, pressing all four paws against the floor, and waiting for it to be over. Her breath still came short and shallow and her heart still pounded against her rib cage. 

It felt like an eternity, but Nella knew it was only about two minutes, when her body shuddered again and she transformed back into herself. Her bones broke and reshaped. The fur retreated back into her skin. 

She squeezed her eyes shut and then it was over. She remained on the floor on her hands and knees for a few moments waiting for her breath to return to normal. When it did, she shifted to a seated position, brought her knees up to her chest, and rested her head on them. 

_Why couldn’t she just get it under control? What was she doing wrong?_ A few more tears leaked out of her eyes and she rubbed them before standing up.

 _Shit_ , she thought. _Another ruined set of clothes_. She walked over to the wardrobe and pulled out a new set, almost identical to the first, except this tunic was green instead of blue. She pulled them on quickly, then collected the ripped bits of her previous outfit and shoved them deep inside the wardrobe.

With all the evidence hidden in the wardrobe, Nella walked over to the bed and crawled under the covers. She buried her face in the pillow and for the first time in she didn’t know how long, Nella finally let herself cry.


	5. First Heist

Nella didn’t go to dinner that night. It wasn’t an intentional skip, but she wound up sleeping through it. Accidental transformations always took a lot out of her and she often slept for hours afterward. She wasn’t sure if it was the actual transformation or the failed attempt to force her body not to transform that made her require the extra sleep, but she didn’t suppose it mattered.

It wasn’t until she heard a knock on the door that Nella finally dug her way out of the blanket nest she’d made and sat up, her mind still fuzzy with sleep and post-transformation exhaustion. She rubbed her eyes and attempted to smooth her hair down before getting out of bed. 

She stumbled across the floor and opened the door, expecting to find Niraline ready to scold her for missing dinner, but instead it was Failena on the other side. She had her cane in one hand and a scroll of parchment in the other.

“You look like shit,” she said as she pushed past Nella and walked in. She walked over to the rumpled bed and sat down on it. 

Nella, ignoring the comment, walked back to the bed and climbed back in, dragging the covers back up to her chin. “What time is it?”

“Just after eight,” Failena said. “You missed dinner. Sonde can bring you something if you want.”

Nella shook her head. Her stomach was always off after accidental transformations. “Was your aunt mad?”

Failena raised an eyebrow. “That you missed dinner? She didn’t even know because she wasn’t there either. Whatever tied her up earlier she must still be dealing with. But I would’ve just told her you were ill, which...I don’t think would’ve been a lie. Look, I know something is going on with you, and I know you refuse to tell me what. And, to be fair, we only just met so I can’t say I blame you...but...whatever this is…” 

She sighed and looked down at her legs before meeting Nella’s eyes again. “I’ve got a bit of experience with being dealt a shitty hand. So I might be able to help.”

Nella buried her head in her hands. “Not with this, you can’t,” she mumbled. 

Failena sighed again and reached out and put a hand on Nella’s shoulder. “I had a feeling you’d say that. So here, this is for you.” She held out the parchment scroll. 

Nella lifted up her head and looked at Failena. She rubbed her eyes, then took the scroll. She unfolded it and scanned it. It looked like a long list of topics, followed by locations where to find said topics. 

“It’s how the library is organized here,” Failena explained. “Mostly based on Altmer cataloging, but with a few changes because of the type of books we have. You should be able to find what you’re looking for.”

Nella rolled the scroll back up and looked at Failena. Her usual smirk was gone and instead she just looked concerned. “Thank you,” Nella said quietly. “I really appreciate this.”

“It’s no problem,” Failena said, shrugging. “And I meant what I said before. You can tell me about whatever this is.”

“I can’t,” Nella said quietly. 

Failena nodded. “Do you need anything else? Dinner?”

“No thanks,” Nella said. “I think I’m just going to go to bed.” 

“Good night,” Failena said as she got off the bed. 

Nella tried to wish Failena good night, but it came out as more of a muffled croak, as if something was stuck in her throat. 

Failena left, shutting the door quietly behind her. Nella set the parchment down on the bedside table and buried her head back in the pillows. She wanted to tell someone. She wanted to tell Failena. But she couldn’t. She couldn’t risk it. If word got out, she’d be hunted down. 

Perhaps the library would have answers. And then, once she finally got this under control, she could find her brother. 

***

Nella woke up feeling significantly better than she had the previous night, at least physically. The full moon was now three days away and the lack of time in between now and then was stressing her out more and more by the minute. 

What was she supposed to do if she didn’t figure out how to control the transformations before then? Would Niraline just let her leave for the night? They hadn’t discussed the exact terms of her...requirement. Did she have to stay in the manor except for guild business? Or could she leave as needed and Niraline trust that she would come back? And if that was the case, what was stopping her from just leaving?

Sighing, Nella got out of bed and went to the wardrobe to change out of the clothes she’d fallen asleep in last night. She pulled out a similar outfit, her eyes lingering on the shredded bits of yesterday’s first outfit. What was she supposed to do with those? 

Nella checked the time. It was almost nine, almost time for her to meet Niraline. Sonde hadn’t brought a breakfast tray, so Nella assumed she was on her own for that, and headed downstairs. 

She stopped in the dining room and found a tray of pastries. Taking one to go, she continued down the hall toward the stairs to the guild. The pastry was remarkably good and Nella made a mental note to track down the cook at some point. 

The guild was more crowded than it had been the previous day. The vast majority of its occupants were Altmer, but every other race seemed to be represented as well. Nella noticed the khajiit from yesterday and took a wide berth around him, skirting the edge of the room until she reached the ramp that led up to Niraline’s study. 

The door was ajar and Nella knocked twice before pushing it open and walking in. Niraline sat behind her desk, pouring over a scroll of parchment. She looked up and folded her hands on top of it when Nella entered.

“Good morning, Miss Nargol,” Niraline said, gesturing to the chairs in front of the desk. 

“Good morning,” Nella said, taking a seat.

“I trust Failena gave an adequate tour? My apologies for yesterday. The matter could not wait,” Niraline said.

Nella nodded. “Yes. The tour was fine.”

“Lovely. Moving on, then.”

Nella chewed her lip, wondering whether she should ask about possibly leaving for the night in three days’ time.

“Your first task,” Niraline continued. “It’s a small job, hopefully one you can complete in a day or less. You’ll be infiltrating one of the smaller manors in the city and retrieving a necklace that was stolen off one of our guild member’s wives. I do not trust him to complete the job with discretion as he holds a mean grudge.”

“I can do that,” Nella said.

“Good,” Niraline said. “This particular manor is not difficult to infiltrate. Their security is...lacking. We’ve stolen from them many times in the past and they either haven’t noticed or haven’t learned their lesson. Best way to get in is the back door through the kitchen. It’s rarely locked and when it is it’s very easy to pick.”

Niraline shuffled the papers around on her desk and handed Nella one. Nella took it. It was a map of the city. 

“The manor is here,” Niraline said, leaning over the table to point to one of the houses on the map. The Altmer who owns it keeps his valuables in his bedroom on the second floor. That is likely where you’ll find the necklace.”

She hands Nella another piece of parchment, this one depicting a drawing of the necklace itself.

“I suggest you memorize that and not carry it with you, in case you are caught,” Niraline said. “You have all the time you need to complete the job, although it should not take you more than two days. Once completed, bring the necklace to Failena then report to me. Questions?”

“No,” Nella said, shaking her head.

“Good. You’re dismissed,” Niraline said before returning her gaze to her paperwork.

Nella shoved the map and drawing into her pocket, then got up and left the room, shutting the door quietly behind her. 

This was it, she thought. Her first real job. Never having been in a guild before, Nella hadn’t ever stolen anything other than for herself or her siblings. While whether she ate that day was often dependent upon her success or failure, she’d never had another person counting on her to succeed. Even when she stole for her siblings, she never told them about it beforehand, just in case she didn’t manage to do it. 

But most times she did succeed, so long as it involved breaking into something or somewhere rather than pickpocketing someone. Nella was a terrible pickpocket. Even if she swore she was hidden and the person was too drunk or asleep to notice anything, somehow they usually did. If she managed to get her hands on the gold or whatever it was she was pickpocketing, she was often able to outrun them, however. Still, she never pickpocketed in large cities with guards. 

Nella thought about stopping in to visit Failena before heading out, but decided against it because she didn’t want her to bring up the previous evening. She knew she couldn’t avoid Failena forever, but maybe she could until she finished this job. 

Nella left through the headquarters rather than walking back upstairs and through the manor. Outside it was bright, sunny, and warm, which meant there were large crowds of people milling about the city. Excellent. That meant extra cover for her to spy on the house, which was her plan for the day. She wanted to figure out who the owner was so she’d know who to avoid once inside. 

Even with her awful sense of direction the map wasn’t hard to figure out and Nella only got lost a couple times before she located the place. It was a large manor by Nella’s standards, but quite a bit smaller than Mathiisen Manor. A stone wall surrounded it, but Nella didn’t see any guards or even servants guarding it. After watching for a few minutes Nella saw that people seemed to come and go as they pleased. All Altmer, of course, and she would stick out like...well, like an Orc in a sea of Altmer. 

Still, Nella crouched down low and scurried through the open gates onto the property. She’d left her shield and axe at the manor and while she felt naked without them, it certainly made it easier to sneak when she didn’t have them. 

There was a large hedge that ran the length of the wall on the inside, which provided the perfect cover for Nella. She crawled behind it and positioned herself so she had a decent view of the front door and set out to wait. 

Nella rarely spent this much time scoping out a heist before doing it, but she rarely had a particular target in mind. Most of the time she picked people to rob on the spur of the moment, catching them when they were off guard or had walked away from their wares for some reason. But this one...Nella was going to have to be careful. She had one shot at it and if she messed it up it wasn’t like she could try the manor next door. 

Hours passed before Nella saw anyone leave the manor who looked to be the owner of the place. And if that hour taught her anything, it was that the Altmer were boring when they were spending time in their courtyards or walking from place to place. Nella saw nothing remotely interesting or even heard any decent gossip, as they all spoke too quietly for her to hear, even with her sensitive werewolf hearing. 

As the sun drew higher in the sky, a tall (even for an Altmer) mer clad in fine Altmer clothing emerged from the manor. He was followed by another, shorter Altmer, at whom he appeared to be barking orders. The taller one had light brown hair almost down to his waist, gathered in a low ponytail, whereas the shorter one had darker hair and seemed much younger. 

_That must be the manor owner_ , Nella thought. He fit the description Niraline gave and with clothing like that there wasn’t any way he was a servant, as she suspected the younger Altmer was. 

The two wandered around the yard, the taller one continuing to bark orders. They drew closer to Nella and she shifted slightly to ensure she was fully hidden in the bushes. 

“And make sure you have it done by tomorrow afternoon,” the taller one said. He sounded much snootier than even NIraline. “I expect it before I leave for my three o’clock appointment.” 

A three o’clock appointment, Nella thought. Perfect. He’d be out of the manor by three and she could sneak in and take the necklace. There would surely be others around, but he was technically the one she was stealing it from. Or could it even be considered stealing when she was simply returning it to its rightful owner? 

The two Altmer continued their way around the yard until a woman strolled in through the gates. She was blonde and wore clothing similar to the taller man’s. They greeted each other with a kiss, then walked into the manor, the servant Altmer following.

_That must be his wife_ , Nella thought. She would be one to avoid as well. 

Nella spent another twenty minutes or so sneaking around the house to inspect the kitchen door, which she located quickly, then left through the front gates. In the entire time she was there she didn’t see a single guard. 

Outside the manor Nella realized she still had the entire rest of the day, since she wasn’t completing the heist until the following afternoon. She might as well familiarize herself with her new city and the best way to do that was through petty robbery.

Nella spent the rest of the day breaking into various places and stealing anything she suspected might fetch a lot of gold. She got a few rings, a necklace, a couple gemstones, and a bit of gold itself. Not bad for an afternoon’s work. 

She returned to the guild headquarters with enough time to fence her stolen goods before dinner and walked away with enough gold to get her through a few weeks on the road, if she had to vacate Auridon quickly. Which...depending on how the full moon went, was a distinct possibility. 

The full moon. She’d managed to forget about it during her afternoon of thievery, but now that she was back at the manor, it was all that filled her head. 

Three days. She now had three days to figure this out. 

“Nella Nargol!”

Nella jumped at the sound of her name, her body beginning to tremble with the surprise. She closed her eyes and froze every muscle, waiting for it to stop. When it did, she opened her eyes and saw Failena, who stood with her eyebrows raised, leaning against a wooden support beam. 

“Sorry,” she said. “Didn’t mean to scare you. Are you all right? Don’t tell me your first heist went poorly, although if it did you probably wouldn’t be standing by the fence.”

Nella took another breath before answering. “All I did today was scope out the place. I’ll do the heist tomorrow. But then I spent the afternoon robbing various places in the city.”

Failena smirked. “Good for you. Niraline encourages that.”

It hadn’t even occurred to Nella to ask Niraline her opinion on that. 

“Well, I was on my way to dinner. You coming?” Failena asked.

“Yeah,” Nella said, fairly certain that the chance of transforming had passed.

***

The following day Nella had two goals. Complete the heist and locate books on lycanthropy in the library. Since she wasn’t planning on doing the heist until the afternoon, she went to the library immediately after breakfast. The benefit to daytime searching would be that Failena would be in her study and unlikely to bother her.

Not that Failena ever bothered her, perse. Nella really liked Failena. She felt her cheeks redden at the thought. But Failena was...a bit nosy. And even though she immediately backed off whenever Nella insisted she didn’t want to talk about it, Nella knew she wanted nothing more than to keep pressing the matter until Nella confessed about her lycanthropy.

It would just be easier to do the research without Failena present. 

The only one in the library when Nella arrived was Aldrenen and he was in the back office, doing something that involved muttering to himself. Whatever it was, it kept him distracted enough that he didn’t seem to notice Nella enter. 

Walking over to one of the tables in the back, Nella pulled Failena’s catalog scroll out of her pocket and looked at it. There were nine different categories, each with their own subcategories. The problem was, Nella had no idea which category werewolves and lycanthropy would be filed under. 

Her first instinct was the section on disease and malady, but that was only because she saw lycanthropy as a disease. But most of the rest of the world did not, and therefore the books would likely be under the beasts and animals section. 

Nella decided to start there and began browsing, relieved that this particular section was located in the back corner and even if Aldrenen emerged from his office, he’d be unlikely to see her. Every single shelf in the entire room was taller than her. 

Her search of the section yielded three books, each one dustier and older than the last. Nella doubted a single one had been published in Niraline’s lifetime, let alone her own. Still, it was the best she could do so she picked the smallest of the three and took it over to a table to peruse. 

Nella’s mother had had an ear for languages, something she’d passed onto Nella, and never before had Nella been more grateful. Every book in the library was, of course, written in Aldmeri. She was very slow when it came to reading Aldmeri, but she could do it. 

The first book proved unhelpful, as it painted werewolves as ravaging beasts who wanted nothing more than to kill everyone they came in contact with. Six months ago, Nella would’ve agreed. But now that she was one...she didn’t want to kill people. At least not unless they tried to kill her first. 

Groaning, Nella put her head down on the table. This was useless. Between the fact that she was slow at reading Aldmeri and that the book had no useful information, she was no better off than she had been two days ago. And now the full moon was the day after tomorrow. 

Nella checked the time and realized she needed to get going for the heist. She slipped the book back onto the shelf in its appropriate spot and left the room, Aldrenen still in the back office. At least he seemed clueless about his surroundings. No wonder he managed to get robbed so often. 

This time Nella only took two wrong turns on her way to the manor. She crept onto the grounds easily, as there were only a few servants puttering about. One was busy trimming hedges and the other was preoccupied with a crate of some sort. Not bothering with hiding behind the hedge, Nella went straight for the back kitchen door. She hid behind a barrel for a few moments to make sure no one was there, then crept up the three steps that led to the door.

It was locked, but Nella popped the lock in ten seconds. What was the point in locking it at all with a lock like that? 

There were a few more servants in the kitchen, but Nella easily snuck past them to the stairs. The kitchen staircase appeared to be some sort of servant back staircase, which worked out very nicely. She went up two flights and emerged in the back of a long hallway. She heard voices coming from a few closed doors, but ignored them in favor of walking the length of the corridor looking for the master bedroom. 

It took twenty minutes of wandering and hiding behind various potted plants when servants or other Altmer left rooms, but she eventually came upon a large, elegant room that could only be the master bedroom. 

Nella took a moment to gawk at just how over the top fancy the room was. It put her guest room in Mathiisen Manor to shame, which only made her all the more curious about what Niraline’s room looked like, given that Mathiisen Manor was larger than this one. Nella took stock of the place, searching for some sort of jewelry box or chest. 

Her eyes rested upon a jewel-encrusted box sitting on a vanity on the other side of the room. Smirking to herself, she scurried across the room and opened it. It wasn’t even locked. And there, sitting right on top, was the necklace in the drawing. 

It was almost too easy, she thought as she pocketed the necklace. She turned around to leave, but stopped when she heard voices. Eyes wide, she searched around for somewhere to hide. A laundry hamper sat a few feet away and she jumped inside, pulling the top on over her head, happy for the first time in her life that she was the smallest orc she’d ever seen. 

Nella’s heart pounded against her ribcage as the voices drew louder. She squeezed her eyes shut and froze every muscle in her body. Very rarely did she transform while robbing someone, but very rarely did so much ride on a single robbery. Usually when she got caught (which wasn’t often) all she had to do was run and whoever chased her gave up long before she grew tired. 

In fact, she’d only ever once transformed during a robbery and that was because the man she’d tried to rob attempted to murder her. So she murdered him first, then transformed. Since it hadn’t been the other way around, she wasn’t too bothered by it. Self defense, after all. 

“I don’t know why you’re blathering on about this,” a woman’s voice said. “Your father and I never said you had to marry the boy, simply meet him.”

“But what’s the point in meeting him if I’ve no plans to marry him?” another voice said.

Ah, arranged marriages, Nella thought. She hadn’t realized those were part of Altmer society, but she wasn’t surprised. 

“Because you never know,” the first woman said. “And he comes from a good family.”

The second woman groaned. “Of course he does.”

“Oh, they aren’t in here,” the first woman said, sighing. Nella heard the sound of the jewel-encrusted box slam shut. “I must have left them downstairs.”

“Wearing your earrings is not going to make this boy fall in love with me,” the second woman said as the two left the room. 

Nella waited a full three minutes before letting her breath out and climbing out of the laundry hamper. She took another few deep breaths and left the room, backtracking the same way she arrived.

Her escape didn’t take as long as it had for her to find her way up to the master bedroom and soon she was back on the streets of Mathiisen, walking back to the manor. At least she’d managed one of her goals for the day.

Once back at the guild, Nella headed straight for Failena’s office. The door was open and Failena was pouring over a stack of parchment. Nella knocked once on the door and walked in.

Failena looked up and grinned once she saw Nella. “You’re back. I assume this means you had success?”

“I did,” Nella said as she pulled the necklace out of her pocket and set it down on the desk.

“Excellent,” Failena said as she took the necklace. “Niraline will be pleased. You’ll be official now.”

Nella raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean by that?”

Failena twirled the necklace around in her hands. “I’ll let my aunt explain it. She gets pissed off if I do.”

“What do you-”

“Just go talk to her,” Failena said. “I’m saying nothing else.”

Nella’s heart began pounding again. There was something off about this. Without saying anything else to Failena, Nella turned around and left the room, making a beeline for Niraline’s study.

The door was closed when she got there so she knocked and kept knocking until Niraline answered. 

“What in god’s name-” Niraline began. “Oh, Nella. Come in.”

Nella stomped in, perhaps a bit louder than was necessary, folded her arms across her chest, and looked at Niraline. 

Niraline sighed. “Failena said something, didn’t she. That girl-”

“No, she wouldn’t explain anything,” Nella interrupted. “She just...alluded to something.”

“Have a seat, Miss Nargol,” Niraline said.

Nella stared at her for a moment before sitting down. 

“I presume you completed the heist? No complications?”

“Yes. And no,” Nella said. “No complications, that is.”

Niraline smiled, satisfied. “Good. Next time you’ll get a real one.”

“Wait, what?” Nella asked. Had she heard correctly?

“That was what my niece was alluding to,” Niraline said. “Do you honestly think I would send a stranger out on guild business before properly assessing their skills?”

“I-” Nella began.

“It’s something I do with all new guild members,” Niraline explained. “Don’t think it’s something I just did for you. I send everyone out on this same necklace heist. Or fake heist, rather.”

“You mean-”

“The necklace is one of mine. The manor belongs to a dear friend. She reports back whether the potential guild member was spotted by herself, her daughter, or her servants. None of them saw you, by the way. Where did you hide? Most people go for under the bed, but you were either so good or you picked somewhere else.”

“Laundry hamper,” Nella said, still stunned. 

Niraline laughed. “Good choice. Take advantage of your size. We had a Bosmer hide in there once.” 

Nella cringed at her size being compared to that of a Bosmer. She wasn’t _that_ small. 

“As I said, I do this for all new guild members. Don’t take it personally. Stop by tomorrow morning and I’ll give you your first real assignment.”

“But-”

“Congratulations, Miss Nargol,” Niraline interrupted, giving Nella a wry smile. “You are now officially part of the Mathiisen Thieves’ Guild.”


	6. Let it Out

Nella awoke with a feeling of dread covering her like the way snow blanketed her village deep in winter. It was the same feeling of dread that overcame her once a month for the past six months, the feeling of dread that came with not knowing where she would spend the upcoming full moon.

Tomorrow. The full moon was tomorrow, which meant she had only a little over twenty-four hours to either figure out how to control her transformations or find a way to sneak out of the manor for the night. And considering she hadn’t so much as found a book that detailed how one controls their transformations, she would have to figure out how to get out of the manor. Either that or she had to talk to Niraline and ask permission to leave for the night. She wasn’t sure which was more realistic. 

Groaning, Nella rolled out of bed and walked to the chair where she’d set yesterday’s clothes. She pulled them on, wincing slightly at her aching muscles. She could feel the pull of the moon and her body wanting to transform, but she still had over twenty-four hours to go. Normally she spent both the day before and the day of the full moon curled up asleep, be that in a cave somewhere or a make-shift tent. 

She looked longingly at the big, comfy bed on the other side of the room and wanted nothing more than to crawl back into it. But instead she had to report to Niraline for her first real assignment and hope that it would leave time for her to continue her library research. 

Nella ignored the morning’s platter of pastries and headed straight for the headquarters. Some combination of anxiety and the full moon was causing her stomach to turn over. It was all she could do to make it down the stairs and to Niraline’s study. By the time she arrived her head was pounding. She winced as she knocked on the door, it somehow sounding like she was knocking on her own skull instead.

“Come in!” Niraline shouted.

Nella opened the door and shut it quietly behind her.

“Ah, Miss Nargol-” Niraline began.

Nella turned around as Niraline spoke and sat down in one of the chairs before being asked.

Niraline raised an eyebrow and it struck Nella that she and Failena looked eerily similar when they did that. “Nella,” Niraline said, now frowning, “you look awful. Do you feel okay?”

Nella blinked a few times, then closed her eyes, willing her head to stop pounding.

“Clearly not,” Niraline continued, answering her own question. “Get back up to bed. I’ll give you an assignment when you’re better. You’re of no use to the guild while you’re ill.”

Nella blinked again, not quite sure she heard correctly. 

“Go on,” Niraline said. “I’ll send Sonde up with soup.”

“Um...okay,” Nella said, standing up. 

Niraline got up from her desk and ushered Nella out. Nella stood outside the study for a few moments before retracing her steps back upstairs. She really must look awful. She realized she hadn’t ever seen herself right before a full moon because she’d been running ever since she was turned. After she got back to her room she went straight for the mirror to look.

Niraline was right. Nella’s skin, always greenish-gray, was now a few shades lighter and looked rather pasty. There were bags under her bloodshot eyes and she looked exhausted. No wonder Niraline hadn’t wanted her on guild business. 

Nella turned to go back to bed, but then realized she now had a full day with no assignment. And while she did feel terrible, she didn’t have time to waste. Instead of going back to bed, she left the room and headed for the library. 

Much as it had been the previous day, the library was empty save for Aldrenen in the back room. Nella went straight for the shelf with the werewolf books and pulled out the one next to the one she’d looked through yesterday. This one was slightly larger and slightly dustier. She wiped a layer of dust off it and saw it was called ‘A Study of Lycanthropy.’ She took it to the same table she had yesterday and set to the arduous task of reading Aldmeri. 

It was even slower going than it had been the previous day and Nella frequently found her eyes glazing over as her head throbbed. She dozed off a few times, waking up just as her head hit the book, and forced herself to keep going. The text was dry and uncomfortable to read, given it was written from the perspective of someone who saw werewolves as terrible creatures. Nella doubted it would provide anything useful, but kept going just in case. 

Hours passed and Nella kept reading. Aldrenen left the back office, looked at Nella briefly, then left the room. He left the door open and Nella wished he’d shut it, but she didn’t have the energy to get up and do it herself. 

She lost track of time after Aldrenen left, but sometime later she heard footsteps and assumed he was back. Her head gave a particularly hard throb and she closed her eyes, willing it to stop.

“Nella!”

Nella winced as the sound of her own name reverberated through her head. Her whole body shook and she tried to freeze all her muscles, but they refused. She squeezed her eyes shut as tightly as she could, but she felt the familiar shudder overcome her entire body and knew there was no stopping it. Not this close to the full moon. Not when she felt this awful. Not when someone snuck up on her like this. 

She felt the room spin as she slipped out of the chair and fell to all fours. _Shit_ , she thought. _Shit, shit, shit!_ Not here, not in the middle of the library with someone else there. 

She heard someone shout something, but they sounded far away. She felt her muscles expand and contract, her bones snap and reform, hair sprout all over her body. She stood frozen, staring at the floor, waiting for it to pass.

“Holy shit,” someone whispered. 

Failena. It was Failena. 

Nella dared not move, but instead listened to Failena’s awkward gait on the floor. Listened as Failena surely left the room and immediately went to go tell her aunt. Which meant as soon as Nella turned back into herself, she had to make a run for it. She had to grab her stuff and leave Mathiisen, leave Auridon, and get as far away as possible.

Nella heard the door shut, but the footsteps then came back. They were coming closer. Failena hadn’t left. Why? Why hadn’t she left?

“This was what you were hiding,” Failena said quietly. “Never in a million years would I have guessed-”

Nella felt her body tremble again and a minute or so later she was back to herself. But she still didn’t move. She lay curled up on the floor, eyes closed, her entire body shaking. This could not be happening. 

“Nella?” Failena asked quietly. 

Tears pricked at Nella’s eyes. She squeezed them shut, but it didn’t work. They leaked out and ran down her cheeks as she tried to make herself as small as possible. She wanted Failena to leave, so she could get her stuff and sneak out of the manor. 

“Just go,” Nella whispered, her voice cracking.

Nella heard Failena’s footsteps walk past her, but not toward the door. She heard shuffling and rustling, then felt something fall on top of her. It was some sort of rough cloth. Because, of course, she’d destroyed her clothes again. Nella opened her eyes and recognized one of the curtains from the library windows. She wrapped it around herself, then slowly turned to look at Failena.

The Altmer sat perched on a table a few feet away, her bad leg resting on one of the chairs. She looked shocked, but not scared or horrified in the way Nella had expected. 

“Holy shit, Nella,” Failena said. 

“I’ll go,” Nella said. “Please don’t tell anyone, but I’ll go.”

“Go where?” Failena asked.

“I-I don’t know,” Nella said, wiping her eyes. “But I know I can’t stay here. Not after that.”

Failena tilted her head. “Whyever not? I mean, I’m surprised. Not going to deny that. It’s not everyday someone turns into a wolf in front of you. But you don’t have to leave because of it.”

“But I do,” Nella said, wishing she could stop crying. “Everyone hates what I...what I am.”

“Look,” Failena said. “As I told you yesterday, I know what it’s like to be dealt a shit hand. And I’m just guessing that this isn’t exactly something you wanted to happen to you. So, if you’d like, I can help you.”

“How?” Nella asked, her voice cracking. “I’m assuming you aren’t a werewolf.”

“You’re right, I’m not,” Failena said. “But situations like these are a lot easier if you aren’t hiding it from literally everyone, right?”

Nella chewed her lip. “I suppose.”

“Now, I’m going to go to your room and get you another set of clothes,” Failena said as she got off the table. “I’ll lock the door so Aldrenen can’t get in.” 

“But-”

“Not another word, Nella,” Failena interrupted as she slid off the desk. “Give me ten minutes.” 

After Failena left Nella scooched further under the table, behind a few of the heavy oak chairs, so that no one would notice her unless they were looking. She wished more than anything that she could go back in time to seven months ago, before she was bitten, before her family was killed. Seven months ago she had a life. Now she was alone, alone and running from herself. 

The shaking slowly subsided as she waited for Failena, but she still felt on edge, as if she was moments away from transforming again. That was always how she felt the day of the full moon, but now here it was the day before. She supposed it was lingering because of transforming just now. 

Nella wasn’t sure how much time passed but eventually she heard the click of the door. She drew further back and held her breath. Sure, Failena had locked the door but all the Mathiisens could do magic. Theoretically Aldrenen could open the door.

“Nella?”

Failena.

“Under here,” Nella whispered.

Failena walked toward her and dropped a pile of clothes next to the table. Nella slowly inched forward and grabbed them. Burying herself under the curtain, she pulled on the tunic and pants, but couldn’t bring herself to crawl out from under the table.

“Are you coming out?” Failena asked after a few moments.

“I...I don’t know,” Nella whispered. 

Nella heard Failena shuffling around, then saw her legs lift off the ground as she climbed back onto the table nearest the one Nella was hiding under. 

“What are you doing?” Nella asked.

“Waiting,” Failena answered. “Eventually you will come out and tell me what is going on.”

“You saw what’s going on,” Nella said, her voice cracking. She curled into a tighter ball, pulling the curtain around herself, wishing a portal would open right there to take her to...wherever. She didn’t even care where. 

Failena sighed. “Yes, but I am assuming this is a relatively new...situation for you. Which means something happened to you recently that is likely fucking you up in major ways. And while I can’t make you not a werewolf, I might be able to help with whatever it is about your wolfishness that is causing you this much anxiety.”

Nella chewed her lip, thinking for a moment. Part of her wanted to tell Failena everything since she hadn’t told anyone since it happened. But the other part of her knew she wouldn’t be able to keep herself together while doing so. The idea of letting out all of those emotions terrified her. 

“Look,” Failena continued. “You don’t have to tell me anything. But, I am a bit of an amateur astronomer, so I know the full moon is tomorrow night. And while I don’t know much about lycanthropy, I do know that the full moon can make you turn. I can help you, Nella. I want to help you.”

That got Nella’s attention. Slowly, she uncurled herself from the curtain and crawled out from the table. “You what?”

“I want to help you,” Failena repeated.

“But why?” Nella whispered as she got to her feet. Her legs were still shaking slightly and she grabbed hold of a chair to steady herself.

Failena closed her eyes and shook her head before responding. “The fact that you have to ask that…” she muttered, then looked at Nella. “Because I like you, Nella. And because it’s the right thing to do. And because I like to think of myself as a decent person.” 

Failena sighed, then continued. “I know we only just met and you have no reason to trust me, but...and I’m being honest here, Nella...what other choice do you have? Did you have a plan for tomorrow night?”

“No,” Nella answered, squeezing her eyes shut. “I was...I was just going to leave. And hope your aunt didn’t notice.”

Failena raised an eyebrow. “Niraline notices everything. That’s what makes this guild so successful.”

“I can’t tell her,” Nella said, her voice cracking again. “I can’t.”

“I’m not suggesting you tell her. I’m honestly not sure what her reaction would be and I think it best we don’t find out. I’m suggesting you let me help.”

“Okay,” Nella said, her voice barely audible. “Okay.”

“Good,” Failena said. “Now, let’s go to your room and you can tell me about however much of this you’d like.”

Nella nodded and walked toward Failena. “Okay.” 

***

Once back in her room Nella immediately climbed into bed. If she ever did leave Mathiisen Manor, she would miss this bed. It was, at the moment, her favorite place in the world. She buried underneath the covers, pulling them tightly around her, as if they were the strongest armor in the world. 

Failena pulled up a chair and sat down, stretching her bad leg out in front of her. She turned to Nella and tilted her head, eyebrow raised, as if to say, go on. 

Nella closed her eyes, unsure where to begin, or even if she wanted to begin at all. 

“When did it happen?” Failena asked quietly.

Nella opened her eyes. “Six months ago.”

Failena let out a low whistle. “That’s so...recent.”

Nella nodded. “If I tell you this...there’s a chance it might happen again. Me transforming, I mean. It tends to happen when I get upset or angry or excited or...any strong emotion, really. I don’t know why.”

“That’s okay,” Failena said. “It’s just you and me in here.” 

Nella took a deep breath. “Okay. Do you know much about orcs? Culture and stuff?”

“Not really,” Failena answered. “I haven’t been much of anywhere outside of Auridon to be honest.”

“I hadn’t been anywhere outside of Wrothgar up until six months ago,” Nella said. “Anyway...orcs outside of Orsinium live in clans. Some are bigger than others. Mine was really small. One of the smallest. It wasn’t far outside Orsinium, maybe five miles. I lived there my whole life. Me, my parents, my brother, and my sister.”

Nella squeezed her eyes shut at the thought of Sin and Tilla. She could see them in her mind as clearly as if they were standing right there. Her heart began to pound and she pulled the blankets tighter around herself, as if they could keep the wolf inside. 

“One day…” her voice trailed off and she took a deep breath. “One night...they came. Werewolves. A whole pack of them.”

Failena gasped. “No,” she whispered.

Nella stared down at the blankets and nodded, her eyes glazing over with tears. “It was awful. And fast...they came so fast. They got everyone. The whole clan...gone.”

“Everyone?” Failena asked.

“Almost. My dad...he killed the one who attacked me,” Nella said, her voice cracking. Her body began to shake and she clenched her muscles, waiting for it to pass. “But then...another one got him. And that was it. He was gone.”

“Oh, Nella,” Failena said. “I’m so sorry. That’s...that’s horrible.” 

“Sin survived,” Nella continued, now unable to stop despite the tears running down her face. “H-he...I s-saw him running. As I lay in the mud. I think he was running for help...to a nearby clan.”

“Where is he now?” Failena asked.

“I-I don’t know,” Nella said, her voice cracking. “Tilla-” She hugged her legs to her chest and buried her face in her knees as sobs wracked her whole body.

She heard Failena get up and soon her arms were around Nella, hugging her tightly.

“N-no,” Nella said. “You have to g-go. I m-might-”

“Shhh,” Failena said, shifting on the bed. “Just let it all out. You can’t keep all this bottled up.”

“I h-have to,” Nella sobbed. 

But it was too late. Months of pent up grief now flowed out of her, the tears unable to stop. Nella sobbed into her knees, Failena’s arms wrapped tightly around her, until she had no more tears left. It was only then that Failena loosened her grip and shifted away. But she stayed on the bed, looking at Nella.

Nella wiped her face, pushed her hair out of her eyes, and looked back at Failena. “I’m sorry-”

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Failena said. “My god, you lost your family and became the very thing that killed them all in the span of one night. That’s enough to mess anyone up for life. But how did you get from Wrothgar to Auridon?”

“I ran,” Nella said, twisting the sheets around her fingers. “I didn’t know where I was going. I reached the end of Tamriel and then got in the nearest boat. And it took me here.” 

Failena shook her head. “And now you’re wrapped up in my aunt’s guild. I can talk to her, you know. Convince her to let you out.”

Three days ago Nella would’ve jumped at that. But now? Where would she even go?

“Or you can stay,” Failena said. “For now.”

Nella nodded. “I just...I don’t know what to do.”

“What do you want to do?”

Nella stared at the blankets. “Find Sin. But I can’t. Not until...not until I figure out how to control my...transformations.”

“Ah, that’s why you’re in the library so much.”

“Yes,” Nella said quietly. “But so far it’s been useless.”

“I would imagine so. The Altmer don’t traditionally have the best view on werewolves.”

Nella buried her face in her knees again. “I knew it was useless,” she muttered. “And the full moon is tomorrow and I still have no idea how to control it or anywhere to go or-”

“Nella,” Failena interrupted. “You do have somewhere to go. This is why I said I could help. This is how I can help. I know this manor like the back of my hand. I know exactly where you can go.”

“And Niraline won’t find out?” Nella asked.

“Nope. She may notice everything, but I am just as crafty as she is. And she tends not to question what I do. I think it has something to do with my disability, and I am not at all ashamed to say I milk that for all it’s worth. So...do you trust me?”

Nella chewed her lip. She didn’t, if she was honest, but she also didn’t have much of a choice.

Failena smirked. “Okay, fine. I understand. But...you don’t have a choice. So, we go with my plan.”


	7. The Sixth Full Moon

“So, let me get this straight,” Failena said as Nella followed her down the stairs later that night. “You only lose your mind the night of the full moon? And not when you transform other times?”

“Yeah,” Nella answered. “So far anyway.”

“Does it work that way for other werewolves?”

“I don’t know,” Nella said. And she didn’t. She hadn’t even met another werewolf, save for the ones that murdered her family. 

“And the ones who...turned you...that was a full moon, so they weren’t in their right minds?” Failena continued.

“I...don’t know,” Nella said again, sighing.

“Sorry,” Failena said. “I’m not trying to be annoying...just trying to understand this.”

“Me, too,” Nella muttered. She wished she knew the answers to Failena’s questions because they were the same questions she had. “Where are we going?”

It was late, well after midnight, when Failena showed up at Nella’s door announcing she had the perfect place for Nella to transform the following night, and that she had to show her now, because everyone else was asleep. It took all of Nella’s remaining energy to rouse herself from the bed and follow Failena downstairs. 

“I told you, someplace you can transform,” Failena said as they reached the main floor. 

“But you didn’t say exactly where that was,” Nella said.

Failena sighed, stopped walking, and turned to look at Nella. “That’s because you probably won’t like it. But it’s the best we’ve got.” 

Nella didn’t have the energy to keep questioning her, so instead she kept walking. Failena led her down the hall and to the door that opened to the stairs down to the guild. But she didn’t open that door. Instead she turned to the door opposite, a door Nella hadn’t given much thought to. Failena turned the knob and it creaked. Nella winced and listened for the sound of someone stirring above them, but the house remained silent.

“Don’t worry. You can’t hear this upstairs,” Failena said.

The room beyond was pitch black until Failena produced dancing orbs of light and sent them into the darkness. They illuminated the room, revealing it not to be a room at all but instead the entrance to a poorly made stone circular staircase leading down into more darkness. There was no railing. Failena put one hand on the wall and gestured for Nella to go first. 

It occured to Nella that this whole thing could’ve been a trap. Failena could be luring Nella to her death or imprisonment, either on her aunt’s instructions or her own will. In her current state, Nella couldn’t very easily defend herself. Then again, she wasn’t sure how good Failena would be in a fight. 

“I swear I’m not trying to murder you,” Failena said. “If I was, I certainly wouldn’t attempt it on these stairs. One half-hearted shove and you’d send me flying. Trust me, if I wanted to kill you I’d do it more elegantly. Like with poison.” 

Nella couldn’t help but smirk. “Fine.”

“Go. You first,” Failena said. 

Nella nodded and set off down the stairs. As she went, the orbs of light followed. She didn’t turn around to look at Failena, but the sound of her shuffling indicated that this trek was far from easy for her. They continued down for longer than Nella would’ve expected and she knew they were farther into the ground than the guild was. 

Eventually, the stairs ended in a dank, stone room. Nella looked around while waiting for Failena, but the room was empty save for a broken crate. Two hallways led from the room on opposite sides. 

It took Failena a few more minutes to get down the stairs and when she appeared Nella noticed her limp was a lot more pronounced. She almost said something, but then didn’t. 

“This way,” Failena said, her voice strained, and she continued down the corridor to the right.

“What’s down the other one?” Nella asked.

“Storage,” Failena answered. 

Once the orbs illuminated the corridor, Nella stopped. On either side of the corridor were barred cells. All were unoccupied but they were still prison cells. The iron bars were old and rusted and the place smelled faintly of dried blood. Nella gagged and squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. 

“So,” she said, once she felt fairly confident she wouldn’t throw up if she opened her mouth. “You do have dungeons.”

“Every manor does,” Failena said. “Although ours haven’t been used in decades.” 

“And this is where you think I should transform,” Nella said as she continued staring at the dungeon cells.

“I told you you wouldn’t like it,” Failena said as she leaned against the bars of one of the cells. 

Nella chewed her lip. Failena was right. She didn’t like it. Not at all. The idea of being locked in a cage like an animal scared her, but what was the alternative? And technically, during the full moons, she became an animal. 

“No one comes down here. It’s so far below the manor that no one will hear a thing. The hardest part will be getting to the stairs without anyone seeing, but I can distract everyone at the end of dinner. And then you can sneak back upstairs before everyone wakes up the next morning. Easy.”

_Easy_ , Nella thought. Easy except for the whole spending the night as a wolf thing. 

“You don’t have to,” Failena continued. “But I don’t see what else you can do. Other than have me tell my aunt you’re no longer staying here, which I’ll do if you want me to.”

“She’d do that?”

“If I told her,” Failena said. “My dad says I’m the only one that has any sway over her. I think he’s jealous of that.”

It was tempting. But Nella had no idea where she’d go and the full moon was so close she doubted she could get very far. “I think...I think I have to stay here. For now.”

Failena smiled. “Good. I know I’ve said it before, but I like you, Nella Nargol.” 

Nella felt her cheeks redden and she turned away. “Thanks...for this.”

“I know it’s not ideal, but-”

“Nothing’s ideal,” Nella said. “Not with this.” 

“I know,” Failena said quietly. “Let’s go back upstairs.”

Nella nodded and followed Failena out of the dungeon. They were both quiet on the way back up the spiral staircase, Nella lost in thought about the impending full moon. For a brief moment she wondered about the werewolf who turned her, the one whom her father killed, and whether he’d dreaded full moons or if he embraced them. Or if he had so much control over his transformations that the full moon had merely been a coincidence. 

Nella sat down on the top step when she reached the end of the stairs, picking up a loose piece of stone and turning it over in her hands. She wondered who the last person who’d been imprisoned in the dungeon was and what they’d done to earn that imprisonment. Part of her wanted to ask Failena, but part of her didn’t want to know. 

A loud thump and a gasp jolted Nella out of her thoughts and she immediately stood up, her heart racing. She took a deep breath to calm herself, then took a few steps back down the stairs.

“Failena?” she called. 

All Nella heard in response was a soft groan. She continued back down the stairs and stopped when she saw Failena sitting on one of the steps, leaning against the center of the staircase. Her eyes were closed.

“Failena?” Nella asked, sitting down next to her. “Are you okay?”

Failena opened her eyes and looked at Nella. “Spiral staircases will be the death of me.”

“Tripped?” Nella asked.

Failena nodded. “And fell down more steps than I care to say.”

“Can you get back up?” Nella asked. 

“No, I figured I’d live here now,” Failena said, giving Nella a withering look. “Yeah, I’ll manage.”

Even still, Nella offered Failena a hand after getting up and Failena took it without a word. And instead of insisting Nella go up before her, Failena let her walk alongside her the rest of the way up. 

When they reached the top, Failena stopped and grabbed Nella’s arm. Nella turned to look at her, tilting her head.

“Nella…”

“I won’t tell anyone,” Nella said. “About you tripping, I mean.”

“It’s not that,” Failena said. “It’s just...thanks. For not making a big deal about it.” 

Nella nodded. “Of course. I get it.”

“You’re the first person who does.”

***

Nella awoke the next day feeling even worse, which was no surprise. She spent the entire day in her room, either sleeping or dreading that evening. Failena stopped by twice with baked goods, but Nella didn’t have the appetite for them. What was better was Failena’s reassurance that everything would go smoothly that night. 

When evening rolled around Nella turned to pacing the room, unable to keep still due to her nerves and forcing herself not to transform any earlier than she had to. Pacing the room did nothing to calm her nerves, but it did mean her body kept up with the speed of her brain, meaning her thoughts were somehow less disjointed. 

What she’d told Failena the previous night, about this not being an ideal situation, was right. There was no ideal situation for this. The most ideal situation would be her not transforming and her village never being terrorized by werewolves in the first place. But if she looked at it from the perspective of best places to transform...the dungeon of Mathiisen Manor was not the worst place.

This would be her sixth full moon transformation. Of the five previous times, her first had been in a forest in Wrothgar, the second in an abandoned cave in Stormhaven, the third and fourth in two different abandoned caves in Glenumbra, and the fifth in an abandoned house just outside of Daggerfall. It was just after that full moon that she got on a ship heading to Auridon. 

Now, here she was about to transform in a locked cage for the first time. The hours leading up to her first five full moon transformations (save for the first, when she didn’t know what to expect and didn’t even know for sure whether the full moon would cause her to lose her mind) were filled with anxiety over whether she would kill someone. With this full moon...she was almost guaranteed not to kill anyone. What with being locked in a cage and all. 

But there was a chance someone would see her and find out she was a werewolf. Someone other than Failena. 

Why did that matter so much? The worst that would happen would be that she’d have to leave. And why should that matter when she was essentially being held against her will? Why did she care so much? Why didn’t she take Failena up on her offer to convince Niraline to let her leave? 

A sharp pain radiated through Nella’s entire body and she fell to the ground, forcing all her worries out of her head for a brief moment. She squeezed her eyes shut and waited for it to pass, bracing herself against the stone floor. 

She slowly stood up and glanced at the clock, but she already knew it was time to go to the dungeon. Before leaving, she opened the wardrobe and carefully hid her father’s shield and axe behind the borrowed clothes. 

The manor was quiet as Nella made her way downstairs and toward the door that led to the dungeon. She heard muffled chatter and laughter as she walked past the dining room, reassuring her that Failena was doing as she promised and keeping everyone at the table. Nella paused only a moment at the door, long enough to hear Failena’s laugh, and then hurried down the hall toward the dungeon. 

Nella realized as she reached the door that without Failena’s magic the place would be pitch black. She thought about going back for a lantern, but wasn’t sure she’d make it in time. It was already taking all her effort not to give into the transformation. 

Nella opened the door, wincing as it creaked, and noticed there was already a lantern sitting near the stairs. She quickly shut the door and grabbed the lantern. Failena must’ve put it there earlier. 

She descended the stairs quickly, much faster than she had with Failena the previous night, and walked straight to the dungeon. Holding the lantern in front of her, Nella looked at the dank prison cell where she would spend her night. It was just as depressing as it had been the previous night, but it somehow looked...cleaner. And there was an emerald green blanket and a pillow atop the cot. 

Failena.

Failena not only left a lantern at the top of the stairs, but she also went down the stairs (the same stairs she fell down last night) and cleaned the prison cell and left a blanket and a pillow. 

The thought of Failena doing that made Nella feel...something. She closed her eyes and took a breath before opening the door and walking into the cell. She then set the lantern on the floor in the hall and closed the door with a creak. It latched shut and Nella pushed against it a few times to see how strong it was. It didn’t budge. 

Sighing, Nella sat down on the cot and rested her forehead on her knees. 

“You made it.”

Startled, Nella picked up her head. Her body shuddered, but she forced it to stop. 

Failena stood on the other side of the cell door, leaning on her cane.

“What are you doing here?” Nella asked, her voice cracking.

“Where else would I be?” Failena asked.

“Upstairs. Anywhere. But here,” Nella said. She was shaking now and couldn’t stop. Wouldn’t stop until she gave into the transformation.

“I’m not leaving you alone,” Failena said as she lowered herself to the ground. 

It was then that Nella noticed she had a bundle of blankets and a pillow with her. Was she intending to spend the night here?

“N-no,” Nella said. “You have to go.”

“I’m not letting you do this alone,” Failena said. 

“I’ve done it alone for the past six months,” Nella said. 

“And now you don’t have to.”

“I do!” Nella shouted. “I can’t-”

Nella’s body gave another involuntary shudder and she fell to the floor. She knelt frozen as her body turned to that of a wolf’s, staring at the ground so she wouldn’t have to see Failena’s reaction. She waited until her body gave its last shake, then her mind went blank. 

***

Nella awoke on the cold, stone floor. Her entire body ached. She blinked a few times, then remembered where she was and scrambled for the blanket which was still on top of the cot. She wrapped it around herself, then turned to the hallway.

“Good morning,” Failena said.

Failena sat leaning against the opposite wall, a matching emerald blanket on top of her legs, her cane next to her. 

“Morning,” Nella muttered, feeling her cheeks redden. “So you stayed...the whole night?”

“Of course,” Failena said. “Better than going up and down the stairs an extra time.”

Nella nodded. “Right...thanks...by the way. For the blanket.”

“Not a problem,” Failena said as she grabbed the cane and struggled to her feet. “Best get out of here before my aunt wakes up.”

Failena walked to the cell and opened the door. She threw a handful of clothing at Nella. 

“Thanks,” Nella said. 

Failena winked, then turned around. “Figured you wouldn’t want to walk naked through the manor. Not that I’d judge you.”

Nella’s cheeks reddened even more as she pulled on the clothes. 

“Ready?” Failena asked.

“Yeah,” Nella said. 

Nella joined Failena in the hallway and the two walked toward the stairs. Failena stopped at the first stair and raised an eyebrow at Nella.

“What?” Nella asked.

“You go ahead,” Failena said.

“But what about-”

“No,” Failena said. “You go. I’ll be fine.”

Nella sighed. “Fine.”

Nella went ahead, but paid particular attention to the sound of Failena’s footsteps behind her. When she got to the top she waited, listening to the clunk of Failena’s cane and the shuffle of her feet. 

As she reached the top, Failena said nothing, but raised an eyebrow at Nella. She walked to the door and paused, her hand on the knob, and turned to Nella. 

“You make an adorable wolf, by the way,” she said, smiling slightly.

“I-” Nella began, but couldn’t think of a way to respond to that. 

If Failena thought Nella made an adorable wolf...what did she think of her when she wasn’t a wolf?

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! If you know me from HPFF, yes, I am the same Gryffin_Duck. This is my first time writing fanfic that is not Harry Potter. I hope you enjoy!


End file.
